“Trans people aren’t a threat to you ... I want people to see others as human and be accepting of each other.”
@katie_gatens sits down with @biminibabes — nonbinary star of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and Great Yarmouth’s most fabulous export. thetimes.co.uk/article/bimini…
@katie_gatens sits down with @biminibabes — nonbinary star of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and Great Yarmouth’s most fabulous export. thetimes.co.uk/article/bimini…
Bimini Bon Boulash doesn’t like labels. “Non-binary is a new term, but the idea has been around for a long time,” the 28-year-old drag queen says.
“David Bowie was non-conforming to gender standards, and people like Prince and Grace Jones were very fluid with their gender identity. I often wonder if people who get so flared up about it ever listen to those artists.”
Bimini is the drag persona of Thomas Hibbitts.
Hibbitts goes by the pronouns they/them, whereas Bimini uses she/her — though she says she’s pretty easygoing about the whole thing.
Hibbitts goes by the pronouns they/them, whereas Bimini uses she/her — though she says she’s pretty easygoing about the whole thing.
Bimini knew from an early age that she didn’t fit in. “I was in the kitchen with ruby red slippers watching The Wizard of Oz and clicking my heels. My mum knew I wasn’t what society would deem normal.”
“I’ve gone through a lot of dark times,” she says.
Drag has been the key to Bimini’s acceptance of herself. She dresses as a Vivienne Westwood-style punk, hyper-feminised women with huge boobs, and as androgynous models — the boundary of gender constantly shifting.
Drag has been the key to Bimini’s acceptance of herself. She dresses as a Vivienne Westwood-style punk, hyper-feminised women with huge boobs, and as androgynous models — the boundary of gender constantly shifting.
“I don’t have to fit into kind of a stereotypical gendered style. I can create my own.”
Drag has also aided her recovery from addiction.
“I don’t think that [drug use] is uncommon within a queer community. You can go into a self-destruct mode.”
“I don’t think that [drug use] is uncommon within a queer community. You can go into a self-destruct mode.”
Illness and weight-loss ensued, and Bimini rose from the ashes. She discovered yoga, became vegan and entered #DragRace after 18 months of performing on stage.
Drag has also been a way for Bimini to express her politics. “Drag is a form of activism,” she says. “Until it’s fully mainstream and fully accepted by everyone, it’s always going to be political.”
Read the full interview: thetimes.co.uk/article/bimini…
Read the full interview: thetimes.co.uk/article/bimini…
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