In 1996 RuPaul became the first drag queen and the first openly gay person to host a national television show with the debut of The RuPaul Show on VH1. The show that launched RuPaul into superstardom, RuPaul’s Drag Race, aired its first episode in 2009. The show’s popularity has helped destigmatize the LGBTQ+ community and provided a platform for gay people to publicly discuss experiences of conversion therapy, becoming HIV positive, and coming out to their families and loved ones, among other important issues.
Courtesy of Paula Gately Tillman
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