The British drag community was devastated yesterday when news hit that The Vivienne had passed away. She was the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and a very popular television personality.
“It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved James Lee Williams ā The Vivienne, has passed this weekend,” her publicist wrote on Instagram yesterday. “James was an incredibly loved, warm-hearted and amazing person. Their family are heartbroken at the loss of their son, brother, and uncle. They are so proud of the wonderful things James achieved in their life and career.”
One of those things was highlighting, just by existing, the ever-increasing queerphobia of Britain. Thanks to loud anti-trans commentators such as J.K. Rowling, it’s become a hard country to undergo gender transition in, and that’s unlocked the doors to other types of anti-LGBTQ sentiment. Being a drag queen is different from being a trans woman, but the “gender-critical” crowd tends to place them under the same umbrella. It’s upsetting, and it was especially upsetting when The Vivienne appeared on the game show Blankety Blank over the Christmas period, because some people just couldn’t handle a drag queen being on their television.
An X user who described themselves in their bio as “Adult Human Female” – always a sign of transphobia coming – complained as the show was airing, “Watching the Christmas edition of Blankety Blank and, of course, thereās a drag queen on the panel,” with a yawning emoji. When it was pointed out to them that Blankety Blank had been presented for years by another drag queen, Paul O’Grady as Lily Savage, they responded with, “I donāt care for men in āwoman face.'”
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Because of UK social media’s very poor track record with anti-LGBTQ attacks, it was heartwarming to see countless people rise up against the bigots and criticize them for their comments. “Getting upset about a drag queen on Blankety Blank seems a bit like watching Wallace and Gromit and being offended by the cheese references,” was one memorable slam. Others pointed out that it was a sign of how far the UK had fallen if a drag queen on TV was suddenly a problem after drag has been part of British entertainment for decades. Some mainstream news outlets even picked up on it, with the Metro writing that the incident “exposes the UKās warped homophobia.” Trans activist India Willoughby disagreed with this, calling it transphobia instead.
Now that The Vivienne has passed away, people are musing on how unfair it is that the last week of her life involved her being told she shouldn’t be on TV.
The Vivienne had suffered queerphobia on another occasion, too, this time a specifically homophobic assault. In 2023, they were attacked by a man in McDonalds who made homophobic remarks before punching The Vivienne in the face. Members of the drag community rallied around her at that time, showing again how beloved she was.
The Vivienne was only 32 when she passed away, making the loss even more tragic. However, the legacy she leaves behind includes strong confirmation that Britain does, despite all its anti-LGBTQ problems, want drag queens on TV.
Published: Jan 6, 2025 11:26 am