HEAD OVER HEELS Previews — Page 6

dramamama611 said: "If I remember correctly, she left with about a month left ofthe run . The official word was that she left for personal reasons."

If I recall correctly, someone who spoke with someone else in the cast said that it was some sort of family related thing (which always sounds to me like a close relative is sick). Whatever it is, I hope she's okay.

Two thoughts:

1. To whoever said that they never realized "how few bonafide hits the Go-Go's had," that was my sentiment exactly when I first heard about this show. It just struck me as a very odd and random choice for a jukebox musical. I mean, the group was important and popular in their day, but to fill a whole 2-hour production with their music? They aren't quite the juggernauts of the Four Seasons, ABBA, or Carole King.

2. This speaks to my probable miseducation about the trans dynamic. If Peppermint was a drag queen on RuPaul's show, doesn't that- by definition- refer to a cis gay man who performs in drag? All the press is saying Peppermint is "the first trans performer in a lead Broadway role," but I recall RuPaul himself making (controversial) comments about transgender vs. drag queen. Of course, I could be mistaken about how Peppermint personally identifies. Does anyone want to clear this up for me? I hope nobody has been offended by my question.

Ado Annie D'Ysquith said: "Two thoughts:

1. To whoever said that they never realized "how few bonafide hits the Go-Go's had," that was my sentiment exactly when I first heard about this show. It just struck me as a very odd and random choice for a jukebox musical. I mean, the group was important and popular in their day, but to fill a whole 2-hour production with their music? They aren't quite the juggernauts of the Four Seasons, ABBA, or Carole King.

2. This speaks to my probable miseducation about the trans dynamic. If Peppermint was a drag queen on RuPaul's show, doesn't that- by definition- refer to a cis gay man who performs in drag? All the press is saying Peppermint is "the first trans performer in a lead Broadway role," but I recall RuPaul himself making (controversial) comments about transgender vs. drag queen. Of course, I could be mistaken about how Peppermint personally identifies. Does anyone want to clear this up for me? I hope nobody has beenoffended by my question."



Many trans women are drag queens. Peppermint was indeed cast on Drag Race as a transwoman.

...Peppermint discussed her trans identity ON her season of Drag Race.

A full interview from April 2017 here

Updated On: 7/2/18 at 11:14 AM

If you read the interview Kad linked, Peppermint explains how her trans identity intertwines with being a drag queen. But typically, it's not great to question someone's presentation and the terminology they use. They know their own identity better than you do.

skimblcshanks said: "If you read the interview Kad linked, Peppermint explains how her trans identity intertwines with being a drag queen. But typically, it's not great to question someone's presentation and the terminology they use. They know their own identity better than you do."

I don't care what she calls herself and I would be happy to use whatever terminology makes her comfortable. I do, however, question the appropriateness of her being allowed to compete in a contest that requires actual men to dress as women because, being a woman, she had an unfair advantage. Hormones taken by transgender women result in breasts and other curves that the male competitors have to fake.

Updated On: 7/2/18 at 12:27 PM

Lot666 said: "skimblcshanks said: "If you read the interview Kad linked, Peppermint explains how her trans identity intertwines with being a drag queen. But typically, it's not great to question someone's presentation and the terminology they use. They know their own identity better than you do."

I don't care what she calls herself and I would be happy to use whatever terminology makes her comfortable.I do, however, question the appropriateness of her being allowed to compete in a contest that requires actual men to dress as women because, being a woman, she hadan unfair advantage. Hormones taken by transgender women result in breasts and other curves that the male competitors have to fake."

It's not specifically a contest for "actual" men to dress as women. It is a contest for drag queens. Peppermint is a drag queen, regardless of her gender identity.

Also, how are hormones any different from plastic surgery? There have been plenty of Drag Race contestants in the past (probably most notably Venus DeLite and Detox) who have had facial reconstruction, silicone implants, injections, etc to look more feminine. But the bottom line of a show like Drag Race is that it's not a competition for who looks the most like a biological woman; for crying out loud, Peppermint was the runner up to a queen who literally took her wig off and exposed her bald, male head in the finale.

perfectliar said: "Lot666 said: "skimblcshanks said: "If you read the interview Kad linked, Peppermint explains how her trans identity intertwines with being a drag queen. But typically, it's not great to question someone's presentation and the terminology they use. They know their own identity better than you do."

I don't care what she calls herself and I would be happy to use whatever terminology makes her comfortable.I do, however, question the appropriateness of her being allowed to compete in a contest that requires actual men to dress as women because, being a woman, she hadan unfair advantage. Hormones taken by transgender women result in breasts and other curves that the male competitors have to fake."

It's not specifically a contest for "actual" men to dress as women. It is a contest for drag queens. Peppermint is a drag queen, regardless of her gender identity.

Also, how are hormones any different from plastic surgery? There have been plenty of Drag Race contestants in the past (probably most notably Venus DeLite and Detox) who have had facial reconstruction, silicone implants, injections, etc to look more feminine. But the bottom line of a show like Drag Race is that it's not a competition for who looks the most like a biological woman; for crying out loud, Peppermint was the runner up to a queen who literally took her wig off and exposed her bald, male head in the finale."

Exactly. Drag Queens aren't always cis-men dressing as women. There have been plenty of non-binary drag queens, including Jinkx who won her season. Ru Paul definitely has some outdated views, Gia Gunn is also trans and was courted for All Stars 3 until she came out and the calls stopped, but that doesn't mean transwomen can't be drag queens.

Kad said: "Lot666 said: "I never said that the competition was based solely on "looking the most like a biological woman", but presenting as a woman is a big part of it, albeit with a healthy dose of humor. The bottom line is that the actual males are hiding their male genitalia, padding their hips, and wearing breast plates or stuffing bras because they're trying to look like women. When the final runway category is any type of "realness", RuPaul and the other judges are looking for that."

And yet many people would say Peppermint isn’t a real woman anyway. So what’s the realness?"

Once more for the people in the back, "realness" is a male trying his best to look like a certain type of female. And this is why I seriously doubt that RuPaul would ever consider allowing a cisgender woman to compete on the show.

My apologies to the OP for this thread having gone off the rails.

That’s not what exactly realness means. Ball culture- which Drag Race is heavily indebted to- offers runway categories like military realness or executive realness, with men presenting like soldiers or CEOs. It’s not just about female impersonation.

Realness is passing as something you’re not or, more to the point, as society does not see you becoming. It’s about convincing others you are what you can appear to be.That’s all it is.

Updated On: 7/2/18 at 03:10 PM