TL;DR
- Calpernia Addams shocked by Drag Race mention.
- Her boyfriend Barry Winchell was murdered in 1999.
- The episode featured painful memories for Addams.
- Discussion on military bigotry and trauma.
- Addams calls for better communication from producers.
Hold onto your wigs, queens! Last Friday’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 18 took a shocking turn that left many viewers—and one special guest—gobsmacked. Calpernia Addams, a trans actress and activist, found herself blindsided when her late boyfriend Barry Winchell’s tragic murder was mentioned during the infamous makeover challenge. Talk about a plot twist!
As the competing queens transformed some very masculine cowboys into fabulous drag queens, one contestant brought up the memory of a friend’s brutal murder while serving in the U.S. Army. And who was that friend? None other than Barry Winchell, who was murdered back in 1999 by fellow soldiers simply for dating a trans woman. Addams, who was watching the episode with friends, was left in shock as photos of her and Winchell flashed on the screen.
“I was kind of gobsmacked this last Friday because one of the makeover subjects said that he was … an ex-military member who had served at Fort Campbell, KY, with Barry Winchell,” Addams recounted in a voice message to the Race Chaser podcast. “It still breaks my heart because he was a sweet young man. And that night, Justin Fisher and Calvin Glover conspired to murder Barry because they had whipped up a frenzy against him because he was … ‘dating a transsexual.’ And so that night they beat him to death.”
Can you imagine? One moment, you’re sipping cocktails and cackling over the queens’ antics, and the next, you’re hit with the worst memory of your life. For Addams, this was not just a trip down memory lane; it was a gut-wrenching reminder of the violence faced by the LGBTQ community, especially in the military. “I think there’s still value to be had in letting everyone know that that kind of bigotry and hatred existed in the military,” she stated. And she’s right—this is a story that needs to be told.
Despite the emotional turmoil, Addams expressed gratitude that Barry’s memory is still honored. “I’m glad that people still honor his memory,” she said. But she also raised an important point: why didn’t the producers of Drag Race give her a heads-up about including such a sensitive topic? Willam and Alaska, the podcast hosts, echoed her concerns, questioning the ethics of using her story without prior communication. “It is so terrifying to be like, ‘I’m hanging out with my friends, we’re kiki-ing and having a good time,’ and then, bam, the worst thing pops up on the screen without warning,” they remarked.
As we continue to celebrate the vibrant world of drag and LGBTQ culture, we must also remember the darker chapters of our history. Calpernia Addams’s story is a stark reminder of the battles fought for acceptance and the ongoing struggle against bigotry. So, while we laugh and cheer for our favorite queens, let’s also take a moment to reflect on the lives lost and the stories that need to be told. After all, every queen has a story, and some are more heartbreaking than others.