Playing the victim.

Fact: I love RuPaul's Drag race on LOGO.

Fact: I'm a supporter of Gay/equal rights.

Fact: People like to play the victim.

I'm going to assume most people who read this aren't on the same page with me when it comes to having seen Drag Race, or know much about the show. I'm going to attempt to bring anyone who hasn't heard the recent controversy up to speed. 

RuPaul's Drag Race is on it's 6th season, it's a competition to find the "Next Drag Superstar." Drag Queens compete in a series of challenges to see whose the best of the group, and each week one is eliminated. Like other shows, top model being one example, the challengers get a message that is like a riddle and explains the challenge to come. On America's Next Top Model this mail they receive before a photo shoot is called "Tyra Mail" on Drag Race it's called "She Mail". The title for Drag Race is a play on words, it's Ru dressed in drag and explaining the challenge ahead, but it's also a pun on the idea that he's a man... She-male.... RuPaul shows up on the TV in the work room and says "you've got she mail!" This has been a tradition since the first season of drag race. In addition there was a mini-challenge on this season called "She-male or Female," this is where the queens were shown a close up photo of either a "biological woman, or a psychological woman" -RuPaul. Basically the contestants had to decide whether it was another drag queen or a female celebrity. 

Apparently this has just posed a problem... People have recently complained over the use of the term "she-male" saying it is a slur to the transgendered community. Now I'm all for people who are gay, transgendered, straight, bisexual, pan sexual, what have you.... What I don't like is people who take things so personally and manage to take offense to something that is not intended to offend. It is my personal opinion that people like to play the victim in situations where they are not being targeted. 

This term has been used in six seasons, every episode, and now it's being pulled from any episode that aires because a few people played the victim. Apparently it's the challenge that brought this into everyone's conscious mind for them to all of a sudden be offended. Clearly this show is not attempting to single anybody out! They are gay men dressing in drag, they are just as much a part of the same community as those who are transgendered. If I got offended every time someone made a blonde joke people would call me stuck up, and easily offended.  

I am not the only one annoyed by this controversy, many people have responded to the facebook post of the official apology having a similar response to what I've voiced. I'm not attempting to be insensitive, I just do not see why people feel so hurt by something that was not even intended to be offensive, especially due to the context in which the term was used. Had it been used by a republican politician in opposition to gay rights, then go ahead and be offended; but the context is important to view. 

As I mentioned there was a public apology, the episode with the mini challenge is being pulled from the TV lineup, and from now on the mail segment of the show will not contain the term "she-mail." I find this to have been quite dramatic, and I strongly feel people deem it necessary to take offense to rain if it falls the wrong way. 

People are UNBELIEVABLE.

Here is the public apology on Drag Official 

http://www.dragofficial.com/10/post/2014/04/logo-says-sashay-away-to-she-mail-she-male.html

Entertainment Weekly's take on the situation.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/04/14/rupauls-drag-race-drop-controversial-shemale-segment/