After what seems like a lifetime of waiting, RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars is finally well under way, and Kween Kong—Down Under’s representative—has been killing the competition. In conversation with Not Safe For Queers, Kween Kong details her journey to the mainstage of Global All Stars, and addresses some of the controversies surrounding her so far.
While audiences may have been waiting for a large-scale, international season of Drag Race forever, Kween Kong’s journey to the mainstage began just weeks before filming started.
“I was actually at Bondi Festival on the phone gossiping with Hannah Conda about something when I got the call from one of the producers,” Kween Kong tells Not Safe For Queers. “They were like, ‘okay so we have this thing that we’re thinking about for you: its 12 queens from across the world competing for a crown…would you be interested in representing Down Under?’”
For Kween, it was a no-brainer. And from that moment forward, it was a race against time to conceptualise, design, and construct more than a dozen looks for the most anticipated season in drag race herstory.
“Once we got the list of costumes needed to be made, I had three designers across Australia (one in Adelaide, one in Melbourne and one in Sydney), and three wigmakers (one in the middle of rural New South Wales, and two in Sydney) working round the clock to get things together,” Kween explains. “It was definitely a race against the clock.”
But until you compare Kween’s efforts to those of her competitors, it’s difficult to understand just how tirelessly she’s worked to get where she is.
The Cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars
“I know that the queens who had more resources were able to fly their designers out to their houses and have them live with them to make their garments,” she reveals. “The reality for me was knowing that I had a budget, and I could pay people the way I would like to pay them, but I also knew that, realistically, Australia’s not built the same way the US or Europe or the Philippines is built.”
Regardless, Kween persevered, overcoming the tyranny of distance that plagues Down Under, and using her unique position as the only Oceanic queen of the season to bring stories and concepts to life that no other queen could.
“As a pacific artist, and someone who’s heavily involved in bringing my culture to the mainstage, I thought, let’s use this opportunity to bring some of these stories alive and pay respects to the communities that I represent,” Kween says. “With that being said, I was aware that—from a Western eye—some people would see my looks and go, ‘this isn’t fashion’. But, you know, we’re showcasing Oceanic excellence rather than fashion, darling.”
And Oceanic excellence it has been. From the moment she stepped on the mainstage, Kween has showcased aspects from Australia, Aotearoa, Samoa and more in her own unique representation of drag.
However, not everyone has taken a liking to Kween’s actions this season, with many an online debate discussing her entrance look in episode one, and her alleged ‘bullying’ of fellow contestant Nehellenia in episode four.
In particular, Kween’s entrance look upset many First Nations viewers because of its inverted use of the Aboriginal flag (a symbol which has been used—at times—to signify a community in distress).
“At the time of filming Global All Stars, we were going through the [Voice to Parliament] referendum here in Australia,” Kween explains. “Our community was down, and we were experiencing a lot of inner turmoil, and that was something that I wanted to showcase.”
“Obviously, there was a lot of feedback that came from it: some people understood it, some people were offended by it. And so, to the people that were offended by it, I do apologise. But I do hope that they understand that the intention was to shed light on what the reality is here for us, Down Under,” she says.
Additionally, Kween’s comments toward Italy’s Nehellenia in episode four’s backstage discussion (which has since been dubbed ‘Nehellenia vs everyone’) have also come under fire, with some even labelling Kween a bully.
“I do struggle a lot with watching that back, because I still hold fast and strong in terms of my stance. Like, I can understand that Nehellenia was feeling upset…but the thing I have an issue with is being accused of being a bully. I’ve never been a bully, darling,” Kween retorts.
“The thing is, drag queens can be shady as well as be kind, like, we’re all complex human beings. And so, if you think that someone throwing shade at someone is being mean and being a bully, it’s like, we’re drag queens, you know? We’re there to represent, but we’re also there to make good TV.”
“And if me saying that you’re ‘a little bit of a c*nt’ is offensive to you, that’s a really well-regarded term that we say Down Under, so, welcome to Global All Stars.”
RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars is now streaming on Stan. New episodes drop Fridays at 6pm (AEST).