RuPaul Andre Charles was born on November 17, 1960 in San Diego, California. Being the only boy of his parents four children, he spent much of his childhood dressing up in his sisters’ clothes. RuPaul moved to Atlanta when he was a teenager to live with his sister. While there he started at Northside School of Performing Arts, giving him his first love of show business. RuPaul got his foot in the door of entertainment with his band, RuPaul and the U-Hauls. After the band broke up RuPaul moved to New York City. This is where his legacy began. While in NYC RuPaul and his roommate, Lady Bunny, began performing in drag on a regular basis. Lady Bunny also grew to become a very famous and successful drag queen. RuPaul was so successful in drag that he grew in popularity to the point that he was dubbed the Queen of New York. During this time RuPaul met his current husband, Georges LeBar. They have been together over 25 years, and finally were able to marry in 2017. RuPaul’s career took off and he soon had a record deal with Tommy Boy Records. While RuPaul continues to pursue his music career, nothing compares to the success he has had within the drag community. RuPaul has candidly spoken about his struggle with being not only a gay black man, but also a gay black man who dresses in drag. While some have condemned him, others have embraced his uniqueness, nerve and talent. RuPaul really hit it big in 2009 when he released a drag competition show called: RuPaul’s Drag Race. The show features other drag queens across the United States and beyond, racing to become America’s best drag superstar. The show also gives out a hefty 100,000 dollars for winning each season. RuPaul’s Drag Race is still just as successful, winning an Emmy in 2016. RuPaul’s Drag Race has many connects, including Kenneth Leslie, who was a co-executive producer on season twelve. RuPaul continues to inspire young LGBTQ youth to be proud of who you are across many social media platforms. You can find his Instagram account here. RuPaul has proved to be more than just an entertainer, musician or drag queen. RuPaul connects so many to the idea that we are more than our insecurities or our fears. In a world with so much hate and fear, we could use many more RuPaul’s.
Mental Health 