RuPaul Becomes First Drag Queen Inducted Into California Hall of Fame

As if RuPaul couldn’t get anymore fabulous, he’s now officially become the first drag queen inducted into California’s Hall of Fame.

The honor was bestowed upon him last week, alongside other well-known names such as Maya Angelou and Tony Hawk. Becoming part of the hall of fame is an opportunity given to people “from all walks of life” who “embody California’s innovative spirit and have made their mark on history.” The program has existed since 2006 as part of the California Museum.

“There is perhaps no person who has done more to dismantle the limiting man box we put our boys and men into than RuPaul,” Jennifer Siebel Newsom, documentary filmmaker and partner of California governor Gavin Newsom, said at the ceremony. “And he’s been doing it with aplomb, living authentically out loud since he was a young boy.”

Newsom listed off some of Ru’s many achievements, from albums to books to, of course, RuPaul’s Drag Race.

“The show took drag sub-culture and brought it mainstream. And it brought its joyfulness, inclusivity, and celebration of all of humanity with it,” she said.

“RuPaul has simply made American media and our larger culture a more inclusive place, and he has done it with incomparable fabulousness. He has transformed hearts and minds, and he has saved lives, too, with countless young people finally seeing themselves reflected in our media, grateful for the community where they too can feel at home.”

The induction into California’s Hall of Fame comes less than two years after RuPaul received a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Both honors not only serve to cement RuPaul himself as a trailblazer in the media, but at least begin to acknowledge the importance of drag culture and the influence it continues to have on our society as a whole.

You can watch the whole ceremony below, or skip to Ru’s moment, beginning at around 1 hour and 48 minutes into the program.