Trinity The Tuck On Anti-Drag Bills, Clapping Back At Caitlyn Jenner

Since becoming a global superstar on RuPaul’s Drag Race season nine, a winner on All Stars 4, and a drag legend on All Stars 7, Trinity The Tuck has been touring around the world, creating original content, and elevating her career to new heights.

On Sunday, May 7, Trinity will appear alongside a top-tier roster of LGBTQ+ performers and allies on the Drag Isn’t Dangerous telethon. This special event aims to raise funds and awareness to fight back against the anti-drag and anti-trans bills being passed by conservative politicians in several states.

During an exclusive interview with PRIDE, Trinity talked about the importance of the Drag Isn’t Dangerous telethon, shared her experiences as a drag performer living in Florida, and talked about clapping back at Caitlyn Jenner’s hateful remarks on social media. Trinity also shared her thoughts on the grand finale of Drag Race season 15, and what she expects from the upcoming All Stars 8.

Scroll through to read PRIDE’s interview with Trinity The Tuck. For tickets and more information about the Drag Isn’t Dangerous telethon, visit DragIsntDangerous.com.

PRIDE: You’re going to be featured on the Drag Isn’t Dangerous telethon. Can you describe this event for people who may not be familiar with it yet?

Trinity The Tuck: It’s a special telethon for people to celebrate drag and show that it’s not dangerous. It’s also an event to raise awareness and money to help drag queens out of work in these states that are having these laws passed, as well as maybe towards legislation to fight against what the Republican Party is trying to do. It’s just a great way for us to show representation, and there are a lot of phenomenal entertainers and other celebrities involved. We’re trying to make it as big as possible.

Speaking of which, it was recently announced that celebrities like Charlize Theron, Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Schumer, and Leslie Jones will also appear at this event. What’s the importance of having such big Hollywood allies showing up at a time like this to support the LGBTQ+ community?

You just said the keyword: allies. We need to show that there are people with high profiles that do support our community and do support equality. To show that all these laws are really ridiculous. [Republicans] are doing this to target queer people. It has nothing to do with keeping children safe, because if they would do that, they would pass gun law legislation for safety. This is all just to target our community, so we need high-profile celebrities like the people you just mentioned to show that we do have support, and that we’re not going anywhere.

Both you and I live in the state of Florida. Even before these recent anti- and anti-trans bills, we were already dealing with the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ campaign over here… so let’s just say that things haven’t been super easy for queer people in Florida in the past few years. As someone who lives here, what's been your experience as a queer person and drag entertainer in these past two to three years?

As of recently, I’ve had to really look into [the laws] they are passing. Because [those laws] could affect my job, could affect if I’m doing something that they deem illegal. I just recently did a brunch show here for a benefit, and it’s an outside brunch, and I’m like, ‘Well, there were kids passing by. How are these laws affecting me being able to do my job?’ And it’s very scary, it’s a very scary time. All of these things are the starting signs of what happened in Germany years ago and we really need to be aware that stuff like this could turn into something even more sinister very quickly if we don’t act now.

What do you think is the most effective way to fight back against this anti-LGBTQ+ narrative that is currently being pushed in several states?

We have to make our voices heard. We have to protest. We have to not go into hiding. We also need to do what we’re doing with the Drag Isn’t Dangerous telethon: raise money to fight these pieces of legislation. The biggest thing that anybody can do is register to vote and vote out these people and put in people that do believe in equality and are there to fight for the communities in the states that are having these anti-LGBTQ+ laws. We have to show that we are here and we’ve always been here.

Let’s talk about some fun things. You just came back from a worldwide tour. How has life been on the road?

Oh, it’s been phenomenal. I love to tour. I love to meet my fans around the world. To go back to what we were talking about, it’s crazy to hear fans asking, ‘Are you okay?’ To think that America is looked at as one of these places that people are afraid to come visit because of the laws being passed not just against LGBTQ+ people, but women’s rights as well. It’s crazy. But I do love to travel, to visit my fans around the world. I love to work. I just got back from my second tour this year and I leave at the beginning of next month for a month-long tour in Australia.

Yeah, I was just looking at your website and there are tour dates in the future for you to travel all around the world… so The Tuck is not slowing down anything soon?

No, this tuck is chaffed [laughs]. No, but I can’t complain. I’m very blessed to be able to do what I love and I can’t complain about being able to support myself doing it.

Recently, you’ve also been very outspoken against Caitlyn Jenner on social media. I’ve been living for the tweets, the Instagram posts, the videos. What are your thoughts on someone like Caitlyn being so hateful toward our community? Your impersonation of Caitlyn was so hilarious on All Stars 4, and now we’re having to deal with Caitlin on Fox News saying all of these bizarre things.

There are a lot of different dynamics to what is happening with Caitlyn. First of all, we have to respect how she identifies and we can’t use that against her. Some people, even in our own community, have said some very transphobic things. Just because she’s against us doesn’t mean we have to stoop to that level.

Aside from that, she is literally the epitome of white rich privilege. She is following the money, and she’s putting money before people, and that is exactly what’s happening here. She’s very privileged. She didn’t have to go through the same things that other trans women have had to go through, so many of the struggles, because she’s privileged. She had that money to just transition overnight and not much has changed for her. She’s not in our community going through these things.

Even if she was to live in Florida, she’s not going to deal with the same trials and tribulations as someone who is working in a bar to support themselves and pay their bills. Because, again, she has money. It’s very sad that somebody like her, who has the platform she does, is so anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+. It is bizarre. When she transitioned, we were all so supportive of her… until she came out with her hateful rhetoric.

Well, I love that you brought that character back because I think that’s what drag does at its best. We need to laugh at moments like these and poke fun at the absurdity of watching Caitlyn Jenner take this turn right now. So, I really appreciate you bringing the character back to life to fight back against what Caitlyn herself is saying.

Yeah. I think that, like you said, it’s super important that we use drag as humor, entertainment, and also as a political statement. And Caitlyn Jenner is a great example of just because you’re queer, it doesn’t mean you are with us. You could just as easily be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

I know you’ve been traveling a lot. Have you been able to watch the finale of Drag Race season 15?

Of course! I’m not going to miss Drag Race. I’m still a huge fan of Drag Race.

What were your thoughts on the finale?

First of all, I think that Sasha Colby was the clear winner to me. I mean, her number, “Goddess,” is exactly what describes her.

I also feel like maybe it’s time to switch up the formulation of the finale because it does get a little bit redundant. This was very, very predictable and I think if they want it to be fun for the viewers, we need a different dynamic for the finale. But I thought it was fine. I thought she was clearly the winner.

The premiere date for All Stars 8 has just been announced as well. How has your life been a year after competing on All Stars 7?

I have been nonstop. It’s been so busy. But, except for the pandemic, that’s been what my life has been like since competing on season nine. I think Drag Race has done so many great and positive things for so many queer people, and not just people that have been on the show, but also queer people that live at home or live in places that aren’t accepted for who they are. Drag Race is like their escape, and to know that it’s okay to be who they are, and that things do get better. It’s just been a whirlwind of positive stuff. Even with the struggles that we’re going through as a country, I try to stay positive and focus on what I'm doing, which is working and meeting my fans and putting out content, which is what I love to do.

Do you have any expectations for All Stars 8? What would you like to see on the season?

All Stars is always fun because, unlike the regular seasons, they always switch up All Stars. There are always twists and turns and gags, and I expect nothing less than drama and a fan-favorite getting eliminated too soon [laughs].

What would you say to young queer people right now who might be struggling with these homophobic and transphobic bills being pushed by conservatives?

I would just say stay strong and things will get better. Hate never wins. If you look at the history of hateful things like these, it never wins. It never lasts that long. So, we have to stay strong. We have to stay vigilant. We have to keep our voices heard, and eventually, we will get through this, and we’ll get through this together.