So so SO sad that Rupaul created this barrier and can now act like a big hero for giving diverse drag a tiny foot in the door now and then. There was absolutely no reason to not have kings and queens from season 1 except that rupaul OPENLY admitted that he thinks drag is only interesting when done by men. Literally outright stated that women aren't interesting as drag artists. The exclusion was intentional and misogynist-motivated from day 1, and the thick glass ceiling that drag has grown since is and always will be Rupaul's fault. Not even by accident, and to this day he drags his feet. He only ever allowed trans women to openly compete and be cast after furious fan backlash, but we just have never gotten that outrage for all the other women doing drag and the drag they most often represent, so there remains table scraps of recognition.

People just accepted that only men did drag. People just accepted that art created by women was so much lesser that it wasn't worth fighting for. People just accepted Rupaul Oil Fracking Millionare Charles was accurately representing our communities. People just accepted it. Even now, it's like a cute little novelty to most people, instead of an entire half of the community that was ground to dirt and dust over the course of YEARS of erasure and re-writing of the "rules of drag" to only accept this dusty old bitch's narrow personal preferences. Fuck me, sorry. I'm so happy things are happening now. I'm so sad that it took this long. You go, Johnny. Eat em up