Queerty attended the RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7 Finale and Queen Coronation in New York on June 1, where the top 8 [top 7, Pearl’s flight landed late] mingled with a thousand or two of their most adoring fans. After appearances on the step-and-repeat photo line, they shared a few of their thoughts:



Katya

On Caitlyn Jenner: “She looks amazing. She looks like if Jessica Lange were an Olympian. Flawless. But it’s all well and good if you look like a beautiful woman. It’s like ‘You go girl — as long as you look good.’ The reality is, Caitlyn Jenner just happens to have Annie Leibowitz at her disposal. What about Bob Regular, who is turning into Barbara Regular? Those are the people who are going to their jobs at the office, or they’re teachers or mail carriers, and for them it’s hard. But don’t you think it was the cuntest move that it was Caitlyn with a C?”

Mrs. Kasha Davis

On the widespread criticism of Season 7: “The mistake they made this season was changing ‘Untucked’ and putting it online. Campy challenges are cute and fun, but to me, ‘Untucked’ is the show. Because you really get to see how people are feeling. I realize they are trying to build their online presence, but ‘Untucked’ is how you get to know the characters.”

Kennedy Davenport

On her 4th Place finish: “I think I should have been in the Top 3 based on my performance, but it is more than just performance. It has to be politics or something. Personality has nothing to do with it. Because if that would be the case, Violet wouldn’t have been in the Top 3. I’m just sayin’.”

Ginger Minj

On her online critics: “I read everything. I’m a glutton for punishment. We’ve all got haters — if we didn’t have haters, we wouldn’t be doing something right. But I care what people think. I don’t change my behavior, but I like to know what people’s perception of me is, so I can have a one-on-one interaction with them, and help them understand where I’m coming from. I try to respond to everybody, and I do it with love. I’m not one of those people on the internet who tries to get into a pissing match with a skunk. You’re gonna lose.”

Trixie Mattel

On the elimination formula for each episode: “I think RuPaul definitely has an idea for what she wants to win before the Final 3. About halfway through, they know who they want to be in the end. The lip sync is somewhat moot a lot of the time. You can tell who they are keeping before the lip sync starts. I think some people were kept out of the bottom 2 because they wouldn’t have survived a lip sync, and some people were thrown into the bottom 2 because they would stay no matter what. It happens both ways. But this is part competition, part reality show. If it were just a competition, it wouldn’t be interesting to watch.”

Miss Fame

On being a role model: “I know what it’s like coming from a hill in the middle of nowhere and not having any role models, and being afraid of what gay was. The goal is to leave a beauty mark on the hearts of all those who relate to me, and it gives me the chance to be the face for someone relating to that. The struggle is real for a lot of kids out there. There are so many social media outlets now, and people think ‘It’s easier now for me, so it should be easier for you.’ But even with all the visibility out there, it is still challenging for a kid who is living in a conservative household, who has to carry this secret until he feels safe. A lot of people aren’t safe, so they have to stay quiet until they are free.”

Violet Chachki

On looking back at her TV image: “I went on the show to be an artist, but I quickly learned there is more to being on TV than just being a fabulous artist. There’s a backstory, there’s a plot, there’s a lot of factors that come into play. My main focus for the show was ‘Be the best drag queen you can be,’ not ‘Be the best reality star you can be.’ I wasn’t focusing on my reality-TV character. I was focusing on the drag. But I have no regrets at all. I am proud of every single thing I did, every single thing I said, and I’ll say it again. I was honest, and I was real, certainly a lot more real than a lot of the other girls on the show. I kept it about what we were here to do, which is drag.”

On Caitlyn Jenner: “Caitlyn is beautiful, and [the Vanity Fair cover] was so well done. It gives us so much visibility. I am so happy, and proud, to be part of the queer community at this day and age. It is a groundbreaking time. I identify as genderqueer, my gender identity is super-fluid and changes daily. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable as Violet, sometimes I feel uncomfortable as Jason. So I definitely relate to Caitlyn’s story. I want to hang out with Caitlyn, and just talk with her about everything, about how brave she is and how much I admire her for having the courage to say ‘Fuck this, I need to live my life for me.’ It must have taken so much courage for her to realize who she is and be at peace with it.”

Check out more photos from the pictures in the GayCities Gallery.

photos by Jeffery James Keyes