RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Laganja Estranja, 32, comes out as trans and says ‘I’m not going to live my life in fear anymore’
RUPAUL’S Drag Race star Laganja Estranja has come out as transgender.
The 32-year-old said “I’m not going to live my life in fear anymore.”
She broke the news while speaking to , sharing: "There are so many other women around me who've inspired me to come forward today, and it's because of their fight and their struggle that I'm able to really do this and say that I'm nervous, but I'm not scared.
"I'm not going to live my life in fear anymore."
Laganja explained that after "presenting as female for the last 10 years" as a drag performer, she began to accept her identity while performing in a way that "made it more explainable to the masses.”
However, it was not until 2021 that she began living as a woman.
She told the outlet: "I do want to be able to express this at all times.
"I just got my haircut - a very feminine cut - and in one week already, my life has changed. I'm able to come off stage and take my makeup off and still see a beautiful woman in the mirror. It's powerful."
Laganja rose to fame while competing on Season 6 of in 2014, where she became a fan favorite for her flamboyant personality.
The Texas native revealed she came out to her "incredibly supportive" family just one week ago.
However, she’s been "comfortably, fully committing" to who she is as a trans woman among her inner circle for the past year after coming out to her friends on her birthday in 2020.
While speaking to EW, Laganja also opened up about her physical transformation and shared that she wants to focus on coming out before beginning the hormone therapy process.
Sharing that the physical changes “will come,” she added: "Glam doesn't make you a woman; it makes you a woman to people outside, in the world…. gender is performative, and what we wear is an extension of what we feel on the inside.
“That's the real truth here: once this is out and once people know, I'm going to be more free to explore what it means to be a woman on the inside. The dressing part? I've got it down, but that's not what makes you a woman."
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The reality star shared that it took her a while to come to terms with her status as a trans woman, stating: "People think that when you're trans that you've wanted to be a girl your whole life; yes, that's partly true [for me], but it's also true that I've wanted to be male my whole life to fit into what society deems as normal.
"But, that isn't my truth, and I'm daring to take this on. I tried to be male and be in-between and nonbinary. The truth is I'm a feminine entity and I can live this life."
