RuPaul’s Drag Race veteran Ginger Minj was recently diagnosed with autism and says it’s been both a blessing and a strength.
The drag queen, a competitor in the ongoing 10th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, mentioned her diagnosis in an offhand comment during an interview with Entertainment Weekly while reflecting on her lifelong Wizard of Oz fandom and her bonding moment with Wicked’s Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the Drag Race Werk Room.
“To be able to thank the people that pulled me out of the depths of despair was a moment I couldn’t let pass by, but also be the autistic, ADHD person that I am, I had so many racing thoughts in that moment, you overthink everything,” she said.
When asked for elaboration on her autism diagnosis, Ginger said it wasn’t until she returned for All Stars 10 that she discovered that facet of herself.
“To be candid, I didn’t find out that I was truly autistic — of course I had my assumptions through my life — until we did the casting process for All Stars 10 and I went in for my psychiatric evaluation,” she said. “The way I communicated, the therapist said, ‘Are you autistic? Are you on the spectrum?’ I had my suspicions, but I said I’d never been tested. He said he’d like me to be tested. So, I did. I got tested, and I am.”
That diagnosis put “40 years [of] existence into perspective so quickly” for Ginger, she said, adding that she is leaning into autism as a strength and a superpower.
“Communication is so important to me, because I’m so concerned about being misconstrued or misunderstood, what are ways I can figure that out for [myself], and not have to rely on social cues from other people?” she explained. “Going into the season, it put not just the competition aspect, but the entire way that I compete and communicate with other people into a hyper-focused perspective for me.”
She added: “It’s such a blessing to know, to have the answer and ability to learn. I’d heard the term masking for so long but didn’t realize that’s what I did daily. Now, I understand myself so much better.”
And Ginger — who previously competed in RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7 and All Stars Seasons 2 and 6 — said not knowing about her autism held her back in her past editions of the franchise.
“Coming across insincere, because I was so concerned about how other people would perceive me or misunderstand the words I said — particularly the fan response to Season 7,” she recalled. “Now, understanding more of who I am, I felt this burden lifted off my shoulders…. No matter what happens, it’s so celebratory for me, because it’s the first time I’ve truly competed as myself.”
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 10, Fridays, Paramount+
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
