The new season of the adaptation of the American show to international success “RuPaul’s Drag Race” begins Friday on France 2 and francetv slash.
Prepare the glitter! The broadcast of the new season of “Drag Race France”, adaptation of the American show to the international success “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, begins Friday June 30 on France 2 and francetv slash. For the second consecutive year, drag queen Nicky Doll, whose real name is Karl Sanchez, will be part of the jury, alongside host Daphne Bürki and singer and DJ Kiddy Smile. They will be joined by many guests: Nicolas Sirkis, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Bilal Hassani, Olivier Rousteing and Marianne James.
In addition to this news, the most famous French drag queen will present this summer a series of documentaries broadcast on France 5, entitled Nicky’s travels. Journeys that will question the question of gender in various countries such as India, Mexico, Japan, or even Greece. Nicky Doll returns for franceinfo to her career and the intrinsically political approach of drag.
Franceinfo: How did you become a drag queen?
Nicky Doll: When I was younger, I was a very effeminate boy, even more so than today. At the time, I did not recognize myself in the people around me: I was not accepted in any group at school and I suffered from it. When I was 18, I decided to create Nicky Doll, a fictional character who has now become very real.
“I was like, ‘Well, since I’m being called so girlish, since for some I’ll never be a man, then I’m going to be a woman for one night, and I’m going to have fun’.”
This approach allowed me to deconstruct all my traumas and all the projections that people had about me. This character really took shape during my first Pride, and over time became a way for me to play with the genre and express myself artistically.
Above all, I learned to become a man by dressing as a woman: it was by opening this door that I finally accepted to be Karl, which is my real first name. I was finally at peace with myself, I was no longer one definition, I was both.
I also wanted to pay homage to women and through them, to my mother, who raised me alone. I consider women to be the strongest and most beautiful sex in society. Honoring her allowed me to accept my feminine side and make room for my masculine side. It was a form of therapy.
Why did you choose to live in the United States?
When I moved there in 2015, my career as a drag queen was not progressing. The opportunities in France were meager and I was paid a pittance. I had to pay for my own taxis, I had no budget for my outfits, and I had to consider myself lucky if I got a ticket to exchange for a nightclub drink after going on stage.
I did not feel appreciated at my fair value. Besides, ambition seems to be a problem here. In the United States, if you are young and ambitious, you will be given the opportunity to prove yourself. In France, people will rather ask you who you think you are. What was going to take years in my own country, I managed to do in the space of five months in the USA.
Did you have any contacts in the American drag scene?
No, I didn’t know anyone. I went to San Francisco with my American partner, because he had gotten a job there. But, after a year and a half, we moved to New York, where there were more opportunities for me.
And above all, there are so many shows all over the city, whether on Broadway or elsewhere, that it nourishes me and keeps me awake on what I can do in my career, and on what I can offer. as ideas in France.
Over there, do you suffer from the stigmatization of the conservatives against your community?
In New York, I’m in a bit of a bubble, because it’s a city apart. It is not representative of what the United States can be. But obviously, as I’m known in the drag world, I’m interested in what’s going on in the community.
I have closely followed the situation in the state of Tennessee, where the Republican governor tried to criminalize and ban drag queen performances in the public space. Eventually, his bill was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. I hope that it will be the same for the other States which would like to adopt such measures.
Do you understand why drag queens are so targeted?
In my opinion, this is a smokescreen that allows us not to deal with the real problem: the weapons. There is always a culture war to distract from this subject. Before drag queens, it was gay marriage, and even earlier contraception…
“This time, we are accused of being dangerous for children. But drag queens have never killed anyone! On the other hand, there are shootings in schools all the time.”
This may seem shocking, but I am not surprised to see this kind of controversy appear in the United States. On the other hand, I am surprised to see that these debates reach France. For example, I don’t understand why Eric Zemmour’s party used photo of a trans person to incriminate a noble art which does no harm to anyone.
For opponents of drag, our shows would be too sexual and too irreverent to be shown to children. But like in all art, there are extremes: you’re not going to see a stripper show with your 6-year-old son! However, I saw many things during my childhood that were not made for my 12-year-old boy’s mind, but it helped me to be much more tolerant.
I understand that our shows can shock, isn’t that the point of art? Haven’t other art forms always been shocking? Shock to encourage reflection, I love it.
Why did you decide to participate in a documentary series on drag queens?
Because the question of gender is an important social fact. If you listen to the media, gender seems to be just a fad, and trans identity a trend that dates back a few months. However, this is not new, but in the past, it was more difficult for the people concerned to accept themselves.
The fact that we can bring visibility and that some people recognize themselves through us is progress.
So often we are criticized for claiming our sexual identity loud and clear, it is because there are still too many people in our LGBTQIA+ community who do not dare to do so. If we can help the shyest not to be afraid to assume responsibility, that’s already huge.
Would you engage politically with the cause of drag queens?
I already do politics since I am, in a way, a spokesperson for my community. But confronting myself with a political party that only wants to feed on the fear of the French does not really interest me. Politics is a profession.
For my part, I prefer to talk about love, tolerance and entertaining people. It seems more important to me. I am already in my own way present on the battlefield of ideas, and I don’t want to venture there any further. Retrograde far-right people, I prefer to ignore them.
The show “Drag Race France” airs Friday, June 30 at 10:55 p.m. on France 2 and from 6 p.m. on francetv slash.