Arts & Entertainment
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ stars slam Wendy Williams for transphobic comments
the talk show host has made off-color remarks about trans celebrities
(Screenshot via YouTube.)
Some “RuPaul’s Drag Race” stars want Wendy Williams fired from hosting the drag competition’s live show because of past transphobic behavior, Vulture reports.
Williams, known for her daytime talk show “The Wendy Williams Show,” currently hosts VH1’s preshow/viewing party for the latest season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” with co-host Ross Matthews. Drag performer Stephanie Stone posted on Facebook about fellow drag performer Erick Atoure Aviance’s experience on “The Wendy Williams Show” to showcase why the hosting gig seemed wrong.
In 2009 Aviance was not allowed to don drag while in the show’s audience. Show executives cited their “no costume policy” as the reason but issued an apology for the incident.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum Detox posted Stone’s comment on Instagram captioned, “She is NOT an ally. She is transphobic. If anything, she is an ENEMY. An enemy profiting off of our community.
“Drag Race” judge Michelle Visage replied to the post with a simple, “Yup.”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” season two winner Alaska spoke with Unicorn Booty and says Williams has also made transphobic comments about Caitlyn Jenner. In 2015 Williams commented that Jenner was not included on the Kardashian/Jenner Cosmopolitan cover because she still “had a member.”
“Frankly, I think the decision to make Wendy Williams one of the hosts of the weekly spots framing commercial breaks for ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’s’ weekly broadcast is tone deaf, untimely and incorrect. I used to watch Wendy’s Hot Topics daily, and some of the things she said during Caitlyn Jenner’s very public transition were beyond questionable,” Alaska says. “At that time, much of the nation was learning to navigate trans visibility for the first time and needed guidance and clarity from the media. But instead Wendy repeatedly spouted ignorance and transphobic rhetoric to a daily audience of millions. I don’t watch her show anymore. And I certainly don’t think she is the right person to be hosting our community’s flagship television program.”
“At that time, much of the nation was learning to navigate trans visibility for the first time and needed guidance and clarity from the media. But instead, Wendy repeatedly spouted ignorance and transphobic rhetoric to a daily audience of millions. I don’t watch her show anymore. And I certainly don’t think she is the right person to be hosting our community’s flagship television program,” Alaska continued.
In 2014 Williams also claimed transgender athlete Chloie Jönsson, who sued after not being allowed to compete in the women’s division of the CrossFit Games, had an “unfair advantage.” Williams brought up Chaz Bono as an example saying, “she still fights like a girl.”
“This is an unfair advantage,” Williams said.”You can take away female or male parts or whatever — it’s like Chaz Bono. You know, Chaz is a man now, but I bet she still fights like a girl like the rest of us, and she’s not as strong as a man who was born a man.”
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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