YAS VEEP

Kamala Harris Makes Surprise Appearance on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’

The new Democratic nominee will urge ‘Drag Race’ viewers to vote in November on Friday night’s season finale.

Vice President Kamala Harris will appear at the start of the Season 9 finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars on Friday, July 26, with an important message for viewers.

“Each day we are seeing our rights and freedoms under attack, including the right of everyone to be who they are, love who they love, openly and with pride,” she says in an early clip from the episode. “So as we fight back against these attacks, let’s all remember no one is alone. We are all in this together, and your vote is your power. So please make sure your voice is heard this November, and register to vote.”

“You better vote,” adds recurring judge Leslie Jones, waving a sign that reads, “Register to vote! vote.gov.”

The clip was recorded several weeks ago, before President Joe Biden dropped out and endorsed Harris as the new Democratic nominee. But the moment works just as well in the context of Harris’ nomination and helps illustrate the types of spaces that the vice president can inhabit that would have been far more difficult for Biden to pull off.

Harris’ appearances also reinforces the contrast between her stance on LGTBQ+ issues and her opponent’s. While Harris can hang out at one of the most queer-friendly shows on television, Donald Trump has long promised to roll back LGBTQ+ rights and lean into the far-right demonization of drag queens and trans people.

Trump’s new running mate, J.D. Vance, has also proposed legislation that would ban gender-affirming medical care to minors nationwide, and has frequently used fear-mongering rhetoric about LGBTQ+ people.

Meanwhile, Harris has been consistently supportive of LGBTQ+ rights. Back in 2010 she campaigned for California attorney general largely by opposing Prop 8, the state constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriage.

Now, in the days since Harris announced her presidential campaign, a viral clip has been making the rounds of her in 2010, celebrating the halting of Prop 8 with LGBTQ+ activists the day it happened.

“This is Kamala Harris. You must start the marriages immediately,” she told the Los Angeles clerk at the time. When the clerk agreed, Harris happily said, “Thank you. Have a good day, and enjoy it—it’s gonna be fun.”

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Michael Boyle

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