RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15 contestant Aura Mayari spoke out about the stigma she received as an Asian immigrant in the public eye.
The look queen shared incidents of bias she’s received in the drag community and felt bringing awareness would shed light on the subject and support people like her that are struggling with the same issues.
The Filipino native was responding to Marcia Marcia Marcia’s Instagram live video addressing hateful trolling on social media by critics who disproportionately attack queens of size and color.
As if to prove her point, under Aura Mayari’s comment in support of Marcia Marcia Marcia, a follower on Instagram spewed tired Asian stereotypes before saying she shouldn’t be doing drag.
Aura tweeted a screenshot of the comment with a witty comeback before adding the hashtag ‘#ProudToBeAsian.’
She explained the reason she shared the hateful comment was to bring awareness that Asians do get discriminated against; on top of fighting for their rights as queer people, there are still issues that people of color deal with inside their community.
Aura followed up the tweet with a heartfelt herstory of her life as an immigrant facing poverty and the stigma of having to learn English as a second language.
RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Aura Mayari calls out racial bias in the drag community
RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15 queen, Aura Mayari, followed up with a harrowing story of life in the Philippines before her family immigrated to the United States and what it was like growing up as an Asian immigrant.
She said, “I grew up with nothing. We lived in a slum, a very poor neighborhood. There were days, when we didn’t have food to eat and my mom had to tuck me into our bed (the floor) hungry, telling me that there will be food to eat the next day.”
When she came to the United States, kids would make fun of the way she talked and laugh at her when she mispronounced words. She tried hard to fit in by studying English but ended up with a complex about her speech and developed anxiety about speaking in public.
Sometimes she still gets frustrated trying to find the right words, but credits RuPaul’s Drag Race for helping her by pushing her out of her comfort zone.
RuPaul’s Drag Race fans show support for Season 15 queen Aura Mayari after bullying on social media
The vast majority of fans showed up for Aura Mayari on Twitter, supporting her speaking out about hate and bullying and giving her love as a drag artist.
One fan said they were inspired by her response, and she was their queen despite what happens on the show.
Another fan expressed admiration by saying, “We need more people like you existing and being yourself boldly… Love you, keep slaying ❤”
Other fans were frustrated that this happened in response to bullying in the community.
Tune in Friday to watch Aura Mayari slay on the runway in episode 5 of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
RuPaul’s Drag Race airs Fridays at 8/7c on MTV.