In recent years, RuPaul's Drag Race has made an effort to introduce diverse new queens to the franchise, but some stars have criticised the show for being too slow to make this important change.
Multiple queens have spoken out about the lack of Black queens in the UK version of the show, and the lack of Asian queens on both the US and UK versions.
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy as part of our Rainbow Crew series, Drag Race Thailand judge and UK vs the World contestant Pangina Heels has given her take on Asian representation in the franchise.
"We've had Kim Chi, we’ve had me. I’m sure that in the future, we’ll see more," Pangina said.
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"We do feel like we want to be represented. So every single time we see a queen, it’s so refreshing, and we’re rooting for that person, because a lot of the times, we don’t see enough of us. I’m really excited to see more. And it’s important.
"We’ve never had a Thai queen until me. So when I went on, I felt proud. It’s just like the Miss Universe Pageant of drag, you know? I was really happy."
The most recent series of Drag Race UK saw the final two contestants Cheddar Gorgeous and Danny Bear win the vast majority of the Maxi Challenges, and Le Fil explained that it definitely felt like the judges gave their attention to just a handful of people.
Related: Why Drag Race's Miz Cracker prefers UK version
"I don’t think it’s anything to do with me. I think it’s more the fact that they favour certain people. And watching it – I think of what viewers have said to me, and the response that I’ve seen," he said.
However, Le Fil added: "But that’s not saying that everything’s preset or whatever. But I think you can sort of feel it, and I could feel it was there."
Meanwhile, Pangina has launched a new series on WOW Presents Plus called Tongue Thai'd, in which queens try out Thai food in drag while chatting about life and culture. Subscribe now at https://uk.wowpresentsplus.com/
Pangina will be attending RuPaul’s DragCon, the largest celebration of drag culture, returning to the UK at the ExCeL London from 6th - 8th January 2023, with quadruple the queens, triple the space and double the glamour. Get your tickets here.
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