RuPaul’s Drag Race Amanda Tori Meating Comes Out as Trans

January 31, 2024
ALEXANDER

Amanda Tori Meating Comes Out as Trans

Season 16 RuPaul's Drag Race contestant Amanda Tori Meating has been having to hold her own despite shade and critiques from some of the other cast members in the early episodes of this year's run (hello, we are looking at you Plane Jane). This week, she has gained confidence in her stride and stated, "I'm going to advocate for myself." In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she has come out as trans, joining a growing faction of Drag Race alum who have also come out.

Plane Jane's seemingly bullying of Amanda from the beginning of this season's Drag Race came on the heels of Amanda's personal struggle with her ex-spouse regarding that very thing. Amanda told Entertainment Weekly's Quick Drag podcast "I think [Plane] caught me at the sweet spot of my healing journey. I'm not giving you the response you're looking for, whatever that was. I'm sitting here like a real f---ing person and I'm telling you, 'I do not like this, please stop.'"

In addition to the bullying allegation from her ex, her divorce was also caused by her exploration of her gender identity. For years prior, she identified as non-binary and it was only recently, with her newfound confidence, that she began to find her place in the trans community.

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She went on to tell EW, "It wasn't at all supported by my partner, and it ended up being a big part of why I had to leave, because he didn't want to be with a trans person. I was in a bad place about it, mentally, for a while, but you get to a point where you're like, I have to do what's right for me, and that involved getting out of that. I showed up to Drag Race in this space of, I'm going to advocate for myself, I'm going to stand up for myself, I'm not going to allow myself to be victimized in the way that I feel like I have been in the past, pre-Drag Race. [I was] in this environment for the first time where everyone's calling me Amanda and not my government name, and realizing how good that felt, and I started to feel a bit more comfortable in the reformation of my identity."

She stated that she has more to go on her self-discovery journey, but being a "t-girl" is where she is at now.

Her coming out and sharing her bullying experience does not bode well for Plane Jane. Even though Plane Jane is clearly talented, she has already ruffled feathers in the Drag Race fandom because of her aggressive and egotistical nature. There's a fine line between being sassy shade and outright bullying.

Check out a recent club appearance with Amanda where she dishes on the last episode: