Black Drag Race Stars Urge Fans to 'Stop the Racism' in PSA

RuPaul's Drag Race has released a public service announcement to fight racism among its fans.

The nearly two-minute spot features several Black alumni from the VH1 reality competition: Heidi N Closet, Mariah Balenciaga, Latrice Royale, Mayhem Miller, Widow Von'Du, and The Vixen.

In the black-and-white PSA, which was dropped Tuesday, the queens are out of drag and reintroduce themselves to fans by their real names and their hobbies (music, video games, cooking, etc.) in order to humanize themselves to viewers.

"I am someone who has experienced injustice and racism at a very young age firsthand. And even though I've endured those things, I still tried to look at the positives and look at the good in people, and in the world as a whole," said Trevien Anthonie Cheek, who is also known by his stage name, Heidi.

The queens then delivered a message together: "Underneath the eleganza is a human being just like you. We need to collectively stop the threats, stop the racism that is affecting this community.

"So make a plan to be better and treat us like the human beings that we are. Pledge to spread joy and kindness to all of us. Your words have power. Let's use them for good. Let's do this for real, and make RuPaul's Drag Race the example."

The PSA concluded with one of RuPaul's signature phrases, "Everybody say love." It also directed viewers to the Trevor Project for more guidance on "the intersection of race and LGBTQ+ identities."

Racism is a problem within the Drag Race community. Queens of color often become targets for harassment on social media by bigoted fans, who have hurled racist slurs and even death threats at the performers. For Von'Du, the vitriol became so bad that she declared that she was withdrawing from public life in August.

"Thank you to the 'fandom' of Drag Race!" the season 12 competitor wrote on Twitter. "You did it! You ran another person of color away from what they love! I try to be strong but y'all done made me feel like I should hate myself and guess what you won!"

This is the second antiracism video released by World of Wonder, Drag Race's production company, this year; the first featured queens from all backgrounds voicing their support of the Black Lives Matter movement. RuPaul has not been featured in either.

In a recent interview with The Advocate, Balenciaga said the action from World of Wonder was "long overdue." She also said white queens have a responsibility to "speak up" against their own racist fans and "hold each other accountable."

Watch the PSA below.