'Drag Race' Star Gigi Goode Comes Out as Gender Fluid on TV

On Friday's episode of RuPaul's Drag Race, season 12 star Gigi Goode opened up their gender identity and became the first person to come out as gender fluid on the popular reality drag competition!

Last week was "Snatch Game" and Goode chose to play Maria the Robot, a sleek, sassy-mouthed, androgynous android. She admits to the queens in the werk room that she struggled a bit to channel the character because of her gender identity, saying "I’ve kind of always teetered between male and female throughout my whole life. I think I really always carry some sense of female and male, even when I’m in non-drag."

In the confessional, Goode opens up even more. "Growing up, I’ve always been interested in feminine things. I wanted to wear dresses to school. I’ve always thought there was no point to putting a label on anything in regards to gender. I don’t think I’ve ever said this out loud, but I think I’m fluid. Sometimes I identify as more male and sometimes I identify as more feminine. I think that I’m both...and I’m neither."

While several queens (like Shea Couleé and Sasha Velour) have opened up about their gender-expansive identities after their season's end, this marks the first time in the show's twelve seasons that a queen has come out as gender fluid on the series. Drag Race has been criticized for not featuring many performers outside of cisgender men, so Goode's story feels especially poignant. 

The 21-year-old felt "so thankful to have a mother who has shaped me into the person I am today." When she was 12-years-old, dropped Gigi off with her gay uncle who was the first to speak to her about LGBTQ+ culture and even introduced her to RuPaul Charles. 

"He’s a big reason why I’m so comfortable with who I am," Gigi shared. 

Thanks for sharing your story with us Gigi!