We asked Dusty Ray Bottoms what former Drag Race contestant she’d most like to seek advice from, and all we can say about her answer is Halleloo!
We’re not usually ones to get biblical, but using the famous expression “A leopard can’t change its spots!” to mean that people can’t change their essential natures actually finds its origins in the Old Testament — from the book of Jeremiah to be exact. But when it comes to New York queen Dusty Ray Bottoms, changing her spots is squarely in her repertoire.
Find LGBTQ-Friendly ResourcesSpots are part of Dusty’s signature make-up — big and small, circular and irregular, usually clustered around her eyes and mouth. And when Michelle Visage challenged the queen early on to show the judges an, ahem, spotless look, one could tell her initial reaction that she wasn’t so eager to get out the spot remover. Nevertheless — unlike many a queen who has unwisely resisted a pointed critique from Visage and gotten clocked for it — Dusty returned the following week serving a fresher face and received props for her flexibility.
That said, Dusty’s defining moment on Drag Race may neither involve clowning in a challenge or being fierce on a runway. After listening to Blair St. Clair describe how loving and supportive her family is of her drag (despite them being religious and conservative), Dusty confessed that she was essentially estranged from her family because — when they discovered her sexual orientation — they put her through some truly horrifying sounding conversion therapy in an attempt to change her. Despite this trauma, Dusty shows a generosity of spirit toward the queens who still embrace religion and they in turn express dismay at the terrible treatment she received at the hands of her family and church. We can all be glad Dusty survived the ordeal and escaped to New York City to blossom into the fabulous queen she’s become.
Dusty offers more positivity in our exclusive video mini-interview when we ask her what former Drag Race winner she’d ask advice from, and while it’s worth noting that — though the queen she chooses did not technically take home the crown on either a regular or All Stars season of the show, to paraphrase Mother RuPaul herself, the queen in question definitely a winner, baby.
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Last modified: February 15, 2019
