The fans fell in love with Los Angeles-based queen Detox during Season Five of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and the love affair continued years later during her Top Three finish during the second season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars”. While we got to see Detox in all of her eye popping fashion choices and one of a kind lip synch abilities, many fell in love with the person we saw behind the scenes, talking about their family and self image issues, giving them a peek at the person behind the performer. I spoke with her during preparation for her upcoming show with some of her fellow “All Stars” as well as New York City’s own Sherry Vine. We chatted about the love between the ladies in the West Hollywood drag scene, her excitement for the first trans woman on the upcoming season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, and why drag is truly, one of the most ultimate forms of activism.

So with “All Stars” finally wound down, you can actually now be a fan of the upcoming “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season nine ladies that is premiering in March. Are you ready to go back to being a fan & not a contestant? It’s exciting. I know a bunch of the girls and I am very excited for Peppermint, I think it’s amazing that there is finally an out trans woman on the show.

You are hitting the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa this weekend on Saturday, February 26th. Is this your first visit to Atlantic City? It is! I am only there for the evening so I can’t get into too much trouble, which is a good thing. I will find trouble anywhere though!

Are you going to be doing some of your own music as well as partnering up with some of the other ladies? The whole event is hooker-themed especially, since we are going to be there. It’s going to be nasty, it’s going to be raunchy, so we will see. I have one really great number planned so far, so we will see how it comes together.

During my conversation with Ginger MInj, we spoke about the true sisterhood with so many of the “Drag Race” girls, but it seems like the scene in California is a sincere sisterhood, as so many of you support each other so closely and frequently. In big cities that could come as a surprise since it can be ultra competitive. You know, I don’t know what it is, but we have each other’s backs and I think that’s important, especially within our community . We need to really support each other and lift each other up. I say it all the time, but we can’t demand equality and respect from the outside world until we respect each other. I think the Los Angeles girls get that; you fuck with one of us, you fuck with all of us is kind of the way it is.

There are some girls, like Mayhem Miller, Rhea Litre and Vicky Vox that have not appeared on “Drag Race” and partially because of support from their sisters that have appeared on the show, they have a much larger fan base. Absolutely. It’s like one big family here. We all support each other here and I really don’t know where I would be without them. They’re my family; I don’t have family here in Los Angeles, so we all have our own little family here.

I am sure one of the questions you get the most is if DWV could ever have a reunion? No. (laughs). It’s not happening. It’s for the best though. I mean, we have been offered some really great opportunities to do a reunion. We have all moved on and are in better places now and I think it is probably for the best. Everyone would like to see it, and we all miss it, but at the end it got really gross and nasty and I would much rather now open up that kind of mentality into my life again.

So many of the girls are followed and admired by so many people. With the political climate the way it is and so much in the country is so divisive, do you think it is your responsibility to be much more of a leader in the community? Absolutely. I always say this as well, but being a drag queen already is such a high form of activism. We are putting ourselves out there and we are the face of wherever we are. I think now, it is more important to be more visible and be more genuine. Show that you are not afraid and you are out there doing the “good work”. Being in your face and crazy. I don't think it matters how political you need to be, because I think that doing drag is already a political statement, but the more involved you can get the better. With the visibility that “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has gotten, it is so important to keep that going!

So often you hear people say that the people that hurt the LGBT community the most, is actually the LGBT community. It’s so true. We are terrible to each other. How can we sit here and be upset that we don’t have the same rights as everyone else, when at the same time, we are so awful to each other? At times ,we make ourselves look like a joke in that respect.

As you move ahead in your career, where do you want to take Detox now? Well, the goal is to make Detox a household lifestyle brand. I have a cookbook coming out, I have a line of cookware coming out, and I have a line of home accessories coming out as well. I also have my own show with WOW (World of Wonder) that starts in April called “Rehab Your Life with Detox”.

Could you be the Martha Stewart of the drag world? I love Martha Stewart; I mean, she she smokes weed!

“America’s Drag Superstars” appear at The Borgata Casino Hotel & Spa on February 26th, 2017. Tickets available www.theborgata.com.

https://twitter.com/TheOnlyDetox