As season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race continues, more of the contestants are starting to own their truths. The latest to do so is New York’s Jasmine Kennedie.
In the latest episode of Untucked, the after-show of RuPaul’s Drag Race in which the queens decompress while the judges deliberate, Kennedie had a moment with her fellow queens in which she came out as transgender. “Before coming here, I was about to start hormones,” she said through tears. “And coming here, I was scared and didn’t want to have to go through that process.”
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She continued, saying that her season 14 castmate Kerri Colby, who also openly identifies as a transgender woman, inspired her during her time on the show to open up about her identity. “Seeing Kerri, seeing how confident she is in who she is, it just further affirmed what I’ve been feeling my whole life. So I, as well, definitely do feel like I am trans,” she said. “And I’ve been so scared to say that, I’ve held back from that for so long because I didn’t want to hurt my dad. But I can’t lie about it anymore. I am trans.”
The moment came just after Bosco spoke about her back-and-forth with herself over whether or not she wanted to transition, saying, “I’m happy with being non-binary, but I do want to move the lever over a little bit.” In a post to her social media last week, Bosco officially came out as transgender, telling her fans, “I’m trans, my pronouns out of drag are she/they, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”
Following her moving moment on Untucked, Kennedie took to her Instagram to share further updates about her journey with her followers. “I am now at a place in my life where I feel confident enough to finally start living my truth and stop worry about what others think,” she wrote. “I started my HRT (hormone replacement therapy) a couple months after coming back from [Drag Race] and I couldn’t be more happier. Everything I’ve wanted is finally happening and I am so thankful for the people who made it possible.”
The star also took another moment to thank Colby for helping her through her transition, saying, “if it wasn’t for you, I probably would have never came out.” Signing off her post, Kennedie told her fans, “I am proud to say I am Kyle, and I am a trans woman.”
With her announcement, Kennedie becomes the fourth contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 to openly identify as transgender, alongside Bosco, Colby and Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté. Season 14 officially features more transgender queens than any single season of the show before, while past seasons have featured transgender queens including Peppermint, Kylie Sonique Love, Gottmik, Gia Gunn, and Carmen Carrera.
Check out a clip of Kennedie’s coming out on Untucked, as well as her Instagram post, below.
“You owe it to yourself to be happy, and to live your life as the human being that you want to be.” 🏳️⚧️
So proud of @JasmineKennedie for finding the courage to share her journey, and major props to @KerriColby, @hereisbosco, & @kornbreadTMFS for inspiring us all season long! 💘 pic.twitter.com/jPjWWteTuP
— RuPaul's Drag Race (@RuPaulsDragRace) February 19, 2022