The idea of this petition is simple: Without a doubt in my mind, the most perfect person to play the role of Edna Turnblad in a Live version of Hairspray would be drag queen extraordinaire and former Drag Race contestant Ginger Minj.

Back on Season 7 of RuPaul's Drag Race, they had a John Waters inspired challenge during episode 9. During this challenge, Ginger Minj took part in a musical number for a song called "Eggs" which served as a parody of another John Waters' classic - Pink Flamingos. It was one of the stand out moments of Season 7. Even John Waters' gushed about how Ginger Minj had been able to channel Pink Flamingos star Edith Massey.



As for Hairspray itself, some of the themes that come across are:

Acceptance: The main character of Tracy wants to be accepted for her plump size and wants the world around her to see how talented she is.

Integration: Seaweed sings a song called Run and Tell That. One of the lyrics of the song is: The darker the chocolate, the sweeter the taste". The idea behind this song and that lyric is that diversity benefits society the same way a multitude of flavors can enhance a meal.

With that said.....

The casting Ginger Minj also adds another social element to the musical. Edna and her husband are a heterosexual couple, according to the story line, but watching them it's easy to think of them as a gay couple.

With this in mind, the musical celebrates a combination of cultural diversity, body image and sexual orientation. The song "Timeless to Me," expresses the idea that appearances do not matter; it is the person who matters most. Surface details such as weight, skin color, or gender should not be considered when choosing friends, lovers, or dance partners.

Casting Ginger Minj not only provides an authentic representation of what the musical is trying to convey, but it helps to drive this message home further. This couldn't be a more fitting time to cast Ginger Minj in the role of Edna with issues going on involving marriage equality, acceptance and integration.

Other reasons why Ginger Minj would be a fitting choice for Edna:

Throughout her entire career, Ginger Minj has proven her ability to perform in front of a live audience time and time again.

One of the other challenges that Ginger Minj excelled on, during Drag Race, was the Glamazonian Airways challenge which required her to learn choreography and to dance in front of a judging panel. (To watch Ginger during the Glamazonian Airways challenge, click HERE)

Another challenge that Ginger Minj excelled on, during Drag Race, was the Snatch Game. During the Snatch Game, Ginger did a celebrity impersonation of Adele. When Ginger initially announced she was doing Adele, I thought how is she going to pull this off?!? After all, I don't exactly think of Adele as lending herself to parody, but Ginger proved me wrong turning in yet another standout performance. This proves Ginger's ability at comedic timing and being able to deliver a punchline. (To watch Ginger during the Snatch Game challenge, click HERE)

So, if you feel the same way as I do - sign the petition, share it on Facebook or retweet it on Twitter! Let's not talk about doing something, but actually do it much like the characters in Hairspray!