From Monet X Change’s now-infamous sponge dress to Kameron Michaels and Eureka’s gag-worthy double save, this season of RuPaul’s Drag Race has held memorable moments nearly every week. The most memorable aspect of Season 10, however, might end up being that the show finally tackled the issue of racism within the Drag Race fandom, thanks to the courage of The Vixen, who has stood up to discuss the show’s race issues throughout the season. It’s a long-overdue conversation, and one that doesn't get enough attention.

The Vixen certainly had a rough time during her run on the show; her tense altercations with Eureka and Aquaria saw a lot of attention, both from fans and queens of other seasons as well. But she brought up something that’s long plagued Drag Race: the racism prevalent amongst the show’s fans, and how race affects everything from the way queens are portrayed in each episode’s final cut to who gets the most love from the fandom. As Season 8 winner Bob The Drag Queen pointed out in a recent viral tweet, many of the show’s most popular queens are white and thin, which sparked its own melee of debate and discussion. This isn’t a recent phenomenon — year after year, queens have been complaining about racial bias they’ve witnessed and racist abuse they’ve received online. Yet The Vixen’s willingness to approach these issues head-on has lent a renewed sense of urgency to the conversation.

Despite the ongoing discussion, RuPaul himself has remained all but silent on the issue of racism amongst fans of the show.

Don’t get it wrong — RuPaul is a queer icon who has done an immense amount for drag culture, and thanks to his pioneering efforts, more people have been introduced to and fallen in love with the beautiful art of drag than ever before. Drag Race hasn’t fallen short in displaying diversity in the queens it casts, either; five out of nine of Drag Race’s winners so far have been queens of color. Yet that doesn’t stop the fact that these queens are often on the receiving end of racist abuse. RuPaul’s standing as one of the most powerful people in the world of drag brings a responsibility to not only protect the show’s legacy, but its integrity, as well. And that integrity has swiftly deteriorated due to RuPaul’s continued silence on the matter, making him complicit in the racism queens experience.