Another contestant of RuPaul's Drag Race has been accused of sexual assault.
Last night, a Twitter user named Kev shared a troubling story accusing Season 11 contestant Soju, or Tony Hyunsoo Ha, of manipulation, gaslighting, coercion, and sexual assault, largely while they were underage.
According to our sister publication Out, Kev "met Ha on Grindr at 17-years-old in January 2016," and alleges that "the pair engaged in intercourse while Kev was 'blackout drunk' and could 'barely walk.' According to this description, Kev would not have been able to give consent."
"I can't even begin to describe how triggering and traumatic it was for me to see Soju get on Drag Race," wrote Kev. "This is when I was hit in the face like a brick with all of the memories and emotions I had bottled up for so long."
He continued:
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't terrified of what people might say. I barely decided just a few months ago to do this. I don't know why but something in my heart told me it was time. Ever since this decision, I've been in intensive trauma therapy twice a week to prepare myself for what might come. While I know deep in my heart that my decision to come forward is first and foremost for my healing, I'm also sharing the truth to combat the ways survivors are silenced because we fear, and know well, the possible repercussions for speaking out, especially when its abuse perpetuated by someone in the public eye."
Soju has since deleted their Twitter account, though the exact timing of when is unclear. The drag queen also locked their Instagram account.
After Kev shared his story, other alleged survivors began to come forward with similar stories of underage coercion, manipulation, and assault.
The posts have gone viral on Twitter. A few RuPaul's Drag Race queens have responded as well.
"All this shit about S*j* really fucked up my morning," All Stars 5 winner Shea Couleé wrote in a now-deleted tweet. "I'm so sorry to all the survivors that were subjected to such awful and reprehensible behavior. I hope Tony can atone and get the help they so desperately needs, so that everyone involved can begin to heal..."
Season 13 contestant Denali also offered sympathies. "I'm so sorry," they wrote simply.
Ha, aka Soju, has since responded in an emailed statement to Out this morning.
"While I await full advice from my legal representative to make an official statement, I will share that I have anticipated these claims after threats and an extortion attempt were sent to me as recently as January 2020. These claims were first brought to my attention by a contact asking for a large sum of money, threats that they would make my life difficult if I did not pay, as well as full admission their lawyer saw this 'case' as an opportunity to spread her name. I have photographic proof of these attempts, among other evidence to point these claims have been orchestrated towards me, and I will share when my full case is prepared." (Out also notes that no one who has spoken up about Ha has publicly shared whether or not they plan to press charges against the dragh performer.)
"In the meantime, I ask for open-mindedness from the community as I seek to bring truth," Ha continued. "I would never dismiss or diminish a victim's experience, but all of the current evidence presented indicates this has been a plan in the works for more than year. Thank you for your patience and understanding."
