Taiwan drag queens bring their glamour to presidential office, celebrating RuPaul win
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TAIPEI - Taiwanese drag queen Nymphia Wind celebrated last month's win on RuPaul's Drag Race by staging a riotous, emotional performance at Taiwan's presidential office on May 15 in front of President Tsai Ing-wen.
Ms Tsai and her ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have championed LGBTQ+ rights, making the island a bastion of liberal values. In 2019, Taiwan legalised same-sex marriage, in a first for Asia.
Nymphia Wind, the first person from East Asia to win the RuPaul's Drag Race crown, lip-synched to three songs, including Marry the Night by Lady Gaga and Taiwanese diva Huang Fei's Chase, Chase, Chase, dressed in a resplendent yellow outfit.
Giving an athletic performance in the presidential office's main entrance hall and under a bust of Sun Yat-sen, who in 1911 founded the Republic of China – which remains Taiwan's formal name – Nymphia was joined by five other drag queens for her final number, Jolin Tsai's gender equality hit Womxnly.
"This is probably the first presidential office in the world to host a drag show," Nymphia told Ms Tsai after her performance, thanking her for ensuring same-sex marriage came to pass. The show was streamed live on the office's YouTube channel.
"Thank you for your contributions to this country, so that I could grow up to be like this today," she added, tearing up. "Thank you for your eight years of dedication, becoming our Taiwan mother."
Ms Tsai congratulated Nymphia again for her win.
"Shantay, you stay," Ms Tsai said, using one of RuPaul's most well-known phrases for winning drag queens.
Taiwan's capital Taipei hosts East Asia's largest Pride march every October.
Last year, Vice-President Lai Ching-te – who takes office as president on Monday – marched at Pride, becoming the most senior government leader ever to attend.
Nymphia was already a well-established artist in Taiwan's thriving drag scene, often wearing over-the-top outfits inspired by bananas.
She has done shows at Taiwanese temples and photo shoots at wet markets dressed as the yellow-skinned fruit, her trademark fashion expression. REUTERS
