At least he had Gia there to coach him through the process — and in many ways, there was no one better to go down this path with. The queen, who came out as a trans woman earlier this year in honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility, represented the perfect foil for Kyle, egging him on like a true, proud drag mother.

But Gia’s identity as a trans drag queen comes with its own set of complications, as the rapidly-increasing visibility of trans and gender-nonconforming people has reignited a previously dormant debate. Now, as these communities continue to fight for basic rights and equality under the law, there has been a more openly critical analysis on the entire idea of drag and the potential transmisogyny of “female impersonation” by cisgender gay men. RuPaul’s Drag Race, in particular, is not exempt from this criticism in fact, it has arguably played a central role. Prior to its seventh season, every episode of the popular series began with an announcement that revealed the challenge for the week. “Oooh girl, you’ve got she-mail,” Ru used to coo, using the transphobic slur as a pun. After a number of trans women came out in protest of the message, it was finally pulled from the segment. In its place now is the much more palatable, “She done already done had herses!”

But while some trans women object to the practice of drag altogether, Gia actually cites the art as pivotal to her eventual discovery of herself. “I found my gender identity, who I am, through the art of drag,” she says. And luckily, the show seems to be finally catching up. In its most recent season, the producers cast their first out-and-proud trans drag queen, Peppermint, who would go on to finish in second place during the legendary finale. Though tensions between the drag and trans communities can run high, Peppermint allowed viewers to see that many members of the drag community are open and supportive of trans women thriving in the industry. Gia’s thoughts on coming out as trans after already establishing herself as a drag queen echo this sentiment; not only did she feel personally empowered through the process of coming out, but she’s also found that she is still just as embraced with love and support as she was before.

Alyson Aliano

At the beginning of the makeover process, Kyle confided that the prospect of doing drag made him uncomfortable. Though he dabbled in the art form alone in the privacy of his own home, he had avoided doing anything publicly. For Kyle, the idea of performing femininity posed a direct threat to the outer masculinity he has invested so much into cultivating. In response to Kyle’s admission, Gia explained that drag can be a transformative experience for all — expectations of gender and sexuality be damned.

By the time Kyle saw himself at makeover’s end — clean-shaven with a fully beat face, standing tall in a floor-length black ball gown, dripping in costume jewelry, and topped off with an impeccably coiffed blonde wig — it was clear he could feel that transformative power as well. If even only for a few hours, Kyle had allowed himself to shed the exhausting pretensions of performed masculinity, opting instead to embrace the beauty of his femininity in the moment. As Gia Gunn told him, drag isn’t just about “dressing up as a girl.” No. “Drag is about being fierce.”

Michael Cuby has always been a social media addict, but is now finally putting his vice to good use as the Community Manager for them. He is also a writer whose work has appeared in PAPER, Teen Vogue, VICE, and Flavorwire.