Drag Race star shares HIV status after Trump administration move: ‘My health is at risk’
Lexi Love from RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 has opened up about living with HIV amid Trump’s second term. (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for MTV)
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Lexi Love has opened up about her HIV status, saying “my heath is at risk”, in response to Donald Trump scrubbing resources from government websites.
Trump’s return to the White House saw several federal websites remove resources on LGBTQ+ rights and HIV, which GLAAD president and chief executive Sarah Kate Ellis condemned, stating that Trump is“clearly committed to censorship” of queer topics.
Taking to Instagram to share her concerns, the 35-year-old shared an image showing a White House website “page not found” message alongside the caption: “My health and wellbeing as an entertainer is at risk now.”
The Louisiana drag queen, who was referred to as a “grandma” during her time filming the seventeenth season of Drag Race, added: “I am personally affected by this stance and will work to use this new platform to not only find resources for myself but those who I am connected to socially and here! I’m so sorry everyone! This is hard and it’s frustrating and it’s insulting.”
She went on: “I still will continue to love myself and you should continue to do so as well. No matter the road we are headed down…….. feels like the g*d d*m* Oregon Trail!?!?!? WTAF.”
The post has been flooded with supportive messages, with organisation the Human Rights Campaign writing, “We’re in this together. We love you!!!”
“Everything will be alright, queen. Gotta stand together tho,” another wrote, while someone else commented: “We will get through this together!”
HIV (the infection that causes AIDS) is manageable with effective prevention, treatment, and care, much more so than it was in the 80s, and reduced stigma has led to those who have the disease feeling much more comfortable seeking medical care and disclosing their status.
Lexi Love isn’t the first RuPaul’s Drag Race queen to share her HIV diagnosis as Ongina, Trinity K. Bonet and Charity Case have all spoken out about their diagnoses.
RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 continues on Fridays on MTV in the US and WOW Presents Plus internationally.
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