Sasha Colby, the winner of Season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, recently made history as the first Hawaiian queen to win the competition. This week, Colby received a tribute from Representative Jill Tokuda (D-HI) on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. In her speech, Tokuda praised Colby for her representation of Hawaiian culture and for being a proud Māhū, a term used to describe individuals of both male and female spirit who are revered in the Hawaiian community.
The tribute comes at a time when Republican lawmakers across the country are enacting laws targeting trans people and drag performers. In her speech, Tokuda acknowledged the ongoing attacks on LGBTQ+ rights and expressed hope that Colby’s victory would inspire others. “Congratulations to Sasha Colby. You are a leader. You are a proud Māhū, and every drag queen’s favorite drag queen,” Tokuda said.
Since winning Drag Race, Colby has been using her platform to advocate for trans rights. In her final lip-sync performance on the show, Colby wore a revealing costume as a political statement, saying that she wanted anti-trans legislators “to see what they’re trying to eradicate. Because they’re probably eradicating it because they’re attracted to it.” Colby has been vocal about her desire to normalize trans bodies and to show that trans people can be powerful and beautiful.
Colby’s victory on Drag Race and the recognition she has received from the U.S. Congress are important moments for the trans community, which continues to face discrimination and violence. As Colby said in her acceptance speech on the show, “I’m not just doing this for me. I’m doing this for every single trans person that came before me, every trans person that’s going through it right now, and every trans person that’s going to come after me.” Colby’s win is a powerful reminder that trans people are here, they are beautiful, and they will not be silenced.