The new Instagram account @Rupublicans is making over GOP members and supporters, turning conservative men into glamorous drag queens
ADVERTISEMENTMeet the latest batch of drag queens, slaying the house down boots!
Actually, all is not as it seems… Although this group of glamorous female impersonators might look like they’re set to take to the runway of RuPaul’s next season of Drag Race, they are in fact the very people who would ban the art form in a heartbeat. Yes, these drag queens are, in fact, prominent Republican leaders - created in their feminine glory by AI.
New Instagram account @Rupublicans uses a text-to-image programme called Midjourney to transform GOP members and right-wing conservatives, including Rudy Giuliani, Josh Hawley and Matt Gaetz, from fearsome to fabulous.
The account, which only posted its first images two weeks ago, on 31 March, has already gained over 123,000 followers. They’re delighting in the parodies at a time when anti-drag bills have been introduced in at least 14 states.
Indeed, it’s a particularly vulnerable time for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States, as State lawmakers are said to be introducing more anti-LGBTQ+ ruling this year than in the past five years combined.
@Rupublicans - the name of which is a play on the US political party and RuPaul’s globally popular Drag Race show - is run by Craig and his husband, Stephen. Both haven’t revealed their surnames, due to concerns over their personal safety and security.
Craig and Stephen told NBC that their Rupublicans project is “pure fantasy”, but explained how they hope it will serve as a platform for activism. Stephen says: “We want it to serve as a platform for a message and show that drag really isn’t that scary. It makes you laugh, and it makes you think, and this isn’t just for us and gay people. I hope that a lot of Republicans see this and can have a laugh at themselves, too”.
There will no doubt be backlash, though. This year alone, Republican lawmakers in over a dozen states have proposed bills to restrict drag performances. Tennessee has already signed such a bill into official law.
While the culture war surrounding drag rages on, @Rupublicans really is a sight to behold, with standout creations including Steve Bannon - who has previously shown support for Putin’s anti-LGBTQ+ government - and Florida Governor (and presidential hopeful) Ron DeSantis, who is currently trying to expand his state’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law to more schools.
In the images, DeSantis’ harsh natural features are emphasised with Disney princess-esque outfits and accompanied by a caption introducing his drag queen alter ego as ‘Rhonda Santy’, adding: "Category is: Book Banning Princess Eleganza. She’s on a mission to turn that Magic Kingdom into a Tragic Kingdom and isn’t afraid to give Mickey the finger(s)."
The Florida Governor has been at war with Disney in recent weeks, after the company spoke out against the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, which bans education about gender identity and sexual orientation for school pupils aged nine and under. He’s also been criticised for removing books from classrooms so they can be ‘vetted’ to make sure they’re in line with the law.
Ted Cruz has also been given the @Rupbulicans makeover in a set of five images, picturing the Texas Senator in bejewelled outfits, heavy makeups and pink or blonde hair. Cruz is dubbed as ‘Cruzella Deville’ and, in the caption, is described as: “Serving homophobic realness, she struts her stuff in fur coats lined with family values and defends every fetus and every gun”.
Cruz recently criticised the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision to legalise same-sex marriage, calling it “clearly wrong”.
Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell was the account’s first post.
Reimagined as ‘Anita Filibust-Her McConnell’, the Minority Leader of the United States Senate looks like a dowager duchess in pink and pearls with coiffured grey hair and a superior expression. ‘She’ wouldn’t look out of place in a Noel Coward play.
Mike Pence, former Vice President under Donald Trump, gets a particularly camp makeover in a trio of AI images. ‘Mother Pence’ dons pink and extremely flouncy outfits, as well as a rainbow striped shirt and mini skirt, accompanied with no makeup and his regular black lace up shoe and sock combo.
Lindsey Graham - dubbed ‘Lady Graham Cracker' - makes for a particularly impressive drag queen. In one of a series of images, the South Carolina Senator, who once compared same sex marriage to polygamy, is depicted riding a white horse - with the pair wearing matching turquoise jewellery.
'Rudy Garland' is also an absolute hit. Yes, you guessed it - that’s Rudy Giuliani's alter-ego. The former mayor of New York and Trump’s one-time right hand man, who is perhaps most famous in certain circles for making a public appearance with hair dye running down his face, is pictured in a selection of voluminous pink wigs and outfits, accessorised with bold jewellery and Dame Edna Everage-inspired glasses.
ADVERTISEMENTThe accompanying caption reads: "Say hello to the GOP’s downfall darling, Rudy Garland, serving cuckoo couture. She used to run the Big Apple, but now she’s the juiciest peach on the streets, wandering the Upper East Side looking for her next gig (NOT the Four Seasons, honey). You thought the only thing she could leak was her hair dye? Girl, watch her spill the tea!"
While the Republican party has yet to comment on their drag queen alter egos, the Instagram account is going down a storm, with hundreds of comments on each post already.
On the latest offering - a glorious depiction of conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro as ‘Sister Slaypiro’ - one user writes: "They don’t deserve to look this good". Another weighs in: "The AIs are being far too generous."
We can’t wait to see who @Rupublicans give the makeover treatment too next - and can only hope that the GOP doesn’t try to get Craig and Stephen (and their immense AI skills) to sashay away.
