Arts & Entertainment
RuPaul chats with Oprah about the spiritual side of drag
Ru says the new generation views drag as a ‘religion’
(RuPaul and Oprah. Screenshot via YouTube.)
Oprah sat down with RuPaul to discuss the spirituality of drag, why “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has become so popular and the lessons he’s learned from the drag world for the February issue of O, The Oprah Magazine and for her podcast “Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations.”
RuPaul shared when he first realized that life shouldn’t be taken seriously when he was a child watching TV.
“When I was about 11 years old, on PBS, I found my tribe in ‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus.’ I thought, ‘OK, they get it,’” RuPaul says. “They’re irreverent, they’re not taking anything seriously and they’re having fun. That’s what this is all about.”
RuPaul also explained why he thinks “Drag Race” has now become a phenomenon.
“The kids who come [to Drag Con] don’t identify with gay or straight. They are smart,’ RuPaul says.‘They’re looking for a voice, almost like a new belief system that transcends the 20th century that is completely of the 21st century.They found our show. I think our show speaks to that forward-thinking voice, that emerging voice of young people. It’s almost like a religion or a way of life.”
In another clip, Oprah points out that Ru goes deep with contestants on the show.
“It’s amazing. It’s often on your show you seem to be giving spiritual advice,” Oprah says.
“We set up the situation on this competition reality show where we challenged them to go beyond their own limited perception of themselves,” Ru says.
“That is the greatest spiritual teaching there is,” Oprah adds.
“The real challenge is for them to be willing to die and become reborn,” RuPaul concludes.
Read RuPaul’s interview with Oprah here.
The 13th annual Frederick Pride Festival was held at Carroll Creek Park in Frederick, Md. on Saturday, June 27.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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PHOTOS: Fredericksburg Pride March and Festival
LGBTQ celebration held in historic Virginia town
The sixth annual Fredericksburg Pride March was held in downtown Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturday, June 27. Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chair Deuntay Diggs led the march alongside Fredericksburg City Council Member Jannan W. Holmes. The Fredericksburg Pride Festival took place at Riverfront Park after the march. Bree Fram was the featured speaker.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.
Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”
Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.
FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”
Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.
“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.
“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.
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