The top six queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 faced an alleged hate crime while doing press in Las Vegas, according to contestant Suzie Toot.
During an interview at the RuPaul’s Drag Race Live 1000th show on 17 March, Suzie recounted the unsettling encounter to Pride.com reporter Ricky Cornish.
“We did get hate-crimed! Suzie Toot can’t catch a break!” she said, explaining that while the queens were posing in front of the famous Las Vegas sign, a heckler attempted to disrupt the moment.
“We were taking pictures in front of the [Las Vegas] sign, and as we were taking pictures, somebody went, ‘Boo! Boo! Not in front of the children!’”
Queens Clap Back at Heckler
The Drag Race queens did not let the incident go unanswered. Lana Ja’Rae and Onya Nurve immediately confronted the individual responsible.
“Onya and Lana, b*tch, went right up to them and said, ‘What did you guys say?’” Suzie recalled.
The moment didn’t end there. Lana later took to social media to double down on her reaction, commenting under a clip of the interview on X (formerly Twitter):
“And I’d do it again! Talk s**t get HIT especially when it comes to people talking bad about my sisters.”
A Sign of the Times?
The incident comes amid an ongoing wave of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment worldwide, with political leaders such as Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán pushing policies that threaten LGBTQ+ rights. While RuPaul’s Drag Race has brought drag into the mainstream, performers still face discrimination and hostility, even in public spaces.
Suzie Toot’s message in response to the incident?
“Speak up when something f**ked up is going on!”
With season 17 of Drag Race in full swing, the queens continue to demonstrate resilience—not just on stage but in real life.
