In an interview with The Guardian, RuPaul, whose birth name is RuPaul Andre Charles, was asked if he would accept a contestant who was in the process of transition to another gender on his show.
“Probably not," RuPaul answered.”You can identify as a woman and say you’re transitioning, but it changes once you start changing your body. It takes on a different thing; it changes the whole concept of what we’re doing. We’ve had some girls who’ve had some injections in the face and maybe a little bit in the butt here and there, but they haven’t transitioned.”
Fans of the show may remember that a transgender woman, Peppermint competed in Season 9 of the show.
When asked about his decision to cast Peppermint, RuPaul explained that she did not transition until after the show.
“Mmmm. It’s an interesting area. Peppermint didn’t get breast implants until after she left our show; she was identifying as a woman, but she hadn’t really transitioned,” he added
RuPaul's comments have enraged the LGBTQ community and loads of people (including past contestants) have taken to Twitter to blast the host.
After noticing the backlash online, RuPaul has taken to Twitter to apologise for his comments and ask for forgiveness from the trans community.
"Each morning I pray to set aside everything I THINK I know, so I may have an open mind and a new experience. I understand and regret the hurt I have caused. The trans community are heroes of our shared LGBTQ movement. You are my teachers," he wrote.
He added: "In the 10 years we’ve been casting Drag Race, the only thing we've ever screened for is charisma uniqueness nerve and talent. And that will never change."
