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RuPaul's Drag Race superstar Daya Betty, who competed in season 14 of the franchise, recently took to social media to open up about an unfortunate incident. Daya Better, aka Trenton Clarke, goes by the pronouns she/her while in drag and he/him outside of it.
The drag star told her followers via an Instagram story about “an extremely uncomfortable situation” she found herself in involving a taxi driver who seemed uncomfortable with her appearance. According to Daya, the driver claimed that her luggage would not fit in the car, despite it being a hatchback.
She mentioned that queer individuals should not let anyone treat them like they don’t belong and encouraged them to stand up for themselves and to “give it right back” to people who look at them “sideways.”
"I wasn’t going to back down despite his hateful behavior” - RuPaul's Drag Race 14 contestant about encounter with taxi driver
RuPaul's Drag Race season 14 contestant Daya Betty recently took to social media to open up about an uncomfortable situation she was in.
Daya Betty said that the driver seemed fixated on her French tips and multicolored backpack and told her that her luggage won’t fit in the car as he asked her to find another taxi. However, when the attendant of the taxi line told him that he was being unreasonable, he grudgingly agreed to take her.
The RuPaul's Drag Race contestant noted that although he agreed to the ride, his attitude remained extremely rude. However, the RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 contestant decided to "take up more space" instead of shriveling up with “embarrassment and discomfort.”
She added:
"I was gonna let him know I wasn’t going to back down despite his hateful behavior."
Daya elaborated on the incident and said that when he muffled something under his breath, she asked him if he had a question but instead of answering, the taxi driver turned up the radio to drown her out.
The drag queen stated that she “spoke louder,” sprayed her perfume, and watched clips of RuPaul's Drag Race at full volume. She wished to let the driver know that she deserves the same respect as everyone else. She called the incident a “small exchange of a much larger picture” and added:
"Queer people have existed forever and we aren’t going anywhere. Don’t let ANYONE treat you like you don’t belong, and when you do feel like you are being looked at sideways, give it right back to em."
Trenton Clarke opens up on dealing with Type 1 diabetes
Daya Betty was the first openly diabetic contestant in the RuPaul's Drag Race franchise.
During a conversation with Beyond Type 1, Clarke (Daya Betty out of drag) stated that his biggest challenge is the schedule as there are some nights where he’s up till 4 am and gets no sleep. He said that the most rewarding part about being a performer with Type 1 diabetes is representation.
He added:
"It’s not like diabetes is something you can’t manage or that you can’t live a well-rounded life with T1D. I think it’s cool that it’s an added little fact about me. I really wasn’t that vocal about it on the show, or if I was, it wasn’t included a lot."
RuPaul's Drag Race is currently airing season 15 and releases episodes every Friday on MTV.
