Drag Race UK’s Cheddar Gorgeous applauded for ‘powerful’ HIV conversation
"Cheddar talking about HIV and PrEP and educating the masses is WHAT WE NEED"
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK‘s Cheddar Gorgeous has been applauded for leading a “powerful” conversation about HIV and the sitgma attached to it.
In the latest episode of Drag Race UK Cheddar, Dakota Schiffer, and Pixie Polite discuss HIV after talking about their outfits for the ‘Tickled Pink’ runway category.
Cheddar chose to use her runway to highlight her HIV activism by decorating her outfit with pink triangles.
The upward-pointing triangle is a symbol used by the activist group ACT UP during the Aids crisis. It was reclaimed from the Holocaust era when Nazis used a downward-pointing triangle to demarcate gay men in concentration camps.
The outfit also included the words “Silence = death”.
During the discussion, Cheddar raised the effectiveness of PrEP and U = U, which means that someone who is HIV-positive and undetectable is unable to pass the virus on.
On Twitter, people praised Cheddar for using the Drag Race UK platform to raise these important messages.
The George House Trust, to who Cheddar is an ambassador, celebrated her win in the Snatch Game this week adding, “thank you for shining a spotlight on #HIV activism, HIV stigma & #UEqualsU with your runway look”
One person thanked Cheddar for speaking clearly on the issues adding, “this is exactly what we’ve included in our PSHE lessons about STDs, and our work on LGBT+ history.”
Another added: “Cheddar talking about HIV and PrEP and educating the masses is WHAT WE NEED”
“SAY IT LOOOOOUUDDERRRR FOR THE PEOPLE AT THE BACK,” wrote someone else.
Another person joined calls to “ABOLISH THE STIGMA” around HIV and U = U.
Cheddar’s conversation was also praised by someone who grew up during the Aids crisis.
“It’s really good to hear them talking about what it felt like being a queer young person on the 80s and 90s. The community we wanted to be part of kind of just vanished,” they added.
“Wise and powerful words,” added one more person.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK continues to air on BBC Three and the BBC iPlayer every Thursday from 9 pm.