Taiwan drag queens bring glamour to presidential office celebrating RuPaul win

Reuters

<div><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Taiwanese drag queen Nymphia Wind celebrated last month&#x27;s win on RuPaul&#x27;s Drag Race by staging a riotous, emotional performance at Taiwan&#x27;s presidential office on Wednesday (May 15) in front of President Tsai Ing-wen.</span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Nymphia Wind, the first person from East Asia to win the RuPaul&#x27;s Drag Race crown, lip-synched to three songs, including &quot;Marry the Night&quot; by Lady Gaga and Taiwanese diva Huang Fei&#x27;s &quot;Chase, chase, chase”, dressed in a resplendent yellow outfit inspired by a lotus flower.</span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Nymphia was already a well-established artist on Taiwan&#x27;s thriving drag scene, often wearing over-the-top outfits inspired by bananas, and has done shows at Taiwanese temples and photo shoots at wet markets dressed as the yellow-skinned fruit, her trademark fashion expression.</span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;This is probably the first presidential office in the world to host a drag show,&quot; Nymphia told Tsai after her performance, streamed live on the office&#x27;s YouTube, and thanking her for ensuring same-sex marriage came to pass.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/4/22/taiwan-president-congratulates-nymphia-wind-for-drag-race-victory-1345">Taiwan president congratulates Nymphia Wind for &#x27;Drag Race&#x27; victory</a></span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Tsai and her ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have championed LGBTQ+ rights making the island a bastion of liberal values, and in 2019 Taiwan </span><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/3/27/thai-parliament-passes-same-sex-marriage-bill-1553"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/3/27/thai-parliament-passes-same-sex-marriage-bill-1553">legalized same-sex marriage</a></span><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> in a first for Asia.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>(Production: Angie Teo)</strong></span></div>

<p>Taiwanese drag queen Nymphia Wind celebrated last month's win on RuPaul's Drag Race by staging a riotous, emotional performance at Taiwan's presidential office on Wednesday in front of President Tsai Ing-wen.</p>

Taiwanese drag queen Nymphia Wind celebrated last month's win on RuPaul's Drag Race by staging a riotous, emotional performance at Taiwan's presidential office on Wednesday in front of President Tsai Ing-wen.