“Drag Race” star Morphine Love Dion says 'it’s a little weird' when people pressure her to come out as trans

The season 16 eliminee tells EW's "Quick Drag" podcast that she's perfectly fine with who she is, thank you very much!

It's time to administer some pain-killing antidotes, because Morphine Love Dion has sadly sashayed away from RuPaul's Drag Race season 16.

Still, the Miami-based makeup master soothed many with her excellent mug skills throughout her Drag Race run, but she also generated interest in her personal gender journey when she discussed her nonbinary identity on a recent episode of the show — which led to numerous online jokes pressuring her to come out as trans.

The Floridian beauty tells Entertainment Weekly's Quick Drag podcast (above), however, that such behavior isn't as cute as fans might think it is, and that she's enjoying life as a newly minted RuGirl at the beginning of a long career as a renowned drag artist.

Below, Morphine elaborates on her feelings on those pressuring her to come out, and further clarifies her current stance on resurfaced, six-year-old social media posts in which she had some choice words for Trixie Mattel, as well as her bond with Miguel, her straight (and married!) makeover subject on Drag Race.

RuPaul's Drag Race season 16 continues Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: All anyone could talk about last week was this “Body” lip-sync against Dawn. Did you know Dawn was dead or done for the second “Body” started, and was that a fair song choice?

MORPHINE LOVE DION: Um, I don’t know if it was fair. Anyone against me with that song, I think it wouldn’t have been a good thing for them. It just sucks that it had to be Dawn. Dawn was casting some spells in the back.

In her exit interview, Mhi’ya revealed that you voted her as the gassiest in the prior mini challenge because she’d run by you, fart, and run away. Can you confirm?

The way you just brought up some deep trauma I tried to throw away and never think about again. She’d literally, in her little robe, I could be at catering, talking to producers, she’d run up, fart, and run away. It’s so foul, I don’t know why she’d do that to me.

Can you describe what it smelled like?

Oh, God. It smelled like, how do I explain it, it was in the morning so it would wake me up a little bit. It smelled like pork and beans. Just pork and beans. Not good. Like, soybeans. Nasty work…. Next thing you know, she’d do it to Q.

Speaking of Mhi’ya doing things in your general direction: the lip-sync that sent her home after she threw her dress on you. Take me back to the moment she did that and your initial reaction. Did it throw you off?

I wasn’t as mad as I looked. I was like, oh, okay, she wants to play around this time. Let’s do it. As soon as that went over me, I thought, oh my God, I went blind, I fainted, something happened. It was pitch-black. I knew she was doing a ballroom trick where you always have to outshine your opponent somehow, even if it’s dirty…. I wasn’t as upset as people thought. I thought it was funny.

This week was the fan-favorite makeover challenge, and you were tasked with making over dancers from Drag Race Live in Vegas. Sasha Colby adopted someone on set last year, and other queens who’ve been made over on the show have gone on to drag careers. Did you adopt anyone on set and did any of the dancers go on to do drag?

No, but I do keep in contact with Miguel.

You seemed like you had a crush. Did you give him your number?

Yes, I did fall in love with him. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Miguel…. He’s married, he has a full-blown wife. Straight man. We still DM, we talk, he’s very sweet and nice. When I got eliminated, he made sure that I was okay and cool. He really didn’t want me to go home. He tried his best to do his best. I potentially do see him doing drag in the future, but I just wonder how that would be. Another Maddy Morphosis, for sure.

On that note, did you notice the Pit Crew member you and Q tickled last week was extremely excited over that development?

Mama, he was bricked up. I did not notice that, and everybody was like, “Morphine, why are your eyes down there?” and I didn’t see that at all. I think I noticed it, and I was like, whoa, but I tried to ignore it.

There was also a moment where Ru lost it over Plane Jane naming her daughter Lazy Susan. How bad did Ru break down in the room? How long did that last?

I rolled my eyes so deeply because that’s so annoying that Plane will make Ru laugh no matter what. She laughed for about 10 minutes. She couldn’t stop laughing. She thought it was the funniest thing, she had tears in her eyes, a vein was about to pop out of her forehead, girl.

Something that had me dying last week was your mother, Athena Dion, giving a video message to you that didn’t mention Plane, her other daughter. Did you ask her why she only addressed it to you?

I’m Athena’s real daughter, and Plane is more of a dumpster, honorary child daughter. Athena didn’t know that she was on…. You can’t tell that many people — NDAs — but, I think Athena had an idea, but she didn’t know if Plane was there at all. She didn’t want to be like, “Hi, Plane!” She should’ve. That would’ve been hilarious.

On the runway, I thought your daughter looked pretty. The mug was flawless. But, the judges read the looks for being a little too simple and for you not “feminizing” up your drag daughter enough, given his muscles.

Rolling my eyes. There are body-builder women!

What was your approach? Was this always the concept you had for dressing your daughter or did you have to adapt like Sapphira did, once you got to set and learned that you had a more muscular daughter?

I never thought I’d meet someone like Miguel, so, I was gagged. This is all I have. We’re going to make it work, and hopefully people appreciate your beautiful body, regardless. At one point, I almost didn’t pad him. But, thank God I did. I remember helping him tuck, too.

You and Nymphia had differing tucking approaches this episode. You helped him that way?

I did, but not the way that I demonstrated to Nymphia, because that would’ve required a lot of touching, and we don’t want any harassment stuff. I just showed him how to do it, he did it, and I saw how he did it, and it was nice. I’m just obsessed with him.

I also want to ask about something that happened on social a while back. After I interviewed Amanda and she came out as trans, a lot of people online tagged you and tried to force you to come out. You’ve said on the show that you’re nonbinary. How did you feel about people forcing your hand with pressure to come out as trans, when they have none of those facts?

Even before Drag Race, every time, a beautiful trans girl would be like, “You’re so gorgeous. When are you starting ‘mones?” It would bother me a lot. Now it’s more of a joke, because they know I’m not there yet. I’m not saying I don’t want to be trans, I’m not saying I am trans — if I am, I need time for myself to figure that out. I’m comfortable with myself now, and I don’t think it’s cute to force or pressure someone into transitioning. I think it’s a little weird.

They think they’re being cute, and it’s still something that’s very real for somebody. Why try to force that?

I love to joke and kiki. I don’t get bothered by a lot of things. Sometimes it’s fine, but if I’m at the club and you’re trying to put implants or inject me with estrogen, I’m going to run away, girl.

So, Kerri Colby, run away!

We were sitting at Heart [nightclub in West Hollywood], and she was like, “Alright, mama, let me get your thigh!” [Laughs] That’s more of a playful thing. But, other people in the comments trying to force stuff…

Yeah, that’s not cool and needs to stop.

I agree!

Something else that popped up recently: some old tweets where you revealed drama with Trixie Mattel, but she has come out as a Morphine stan on Pit Stop. Are you two cool?

I was planning on never addressing it unless it was something funny where she and I addressed it. Those tweets were from 2020, but the thing that happened was in 2018. I was stupid and young. It was one of those things where I didn’t know much of Trixie of how she was in person, until years later when she said that’s how she is and can come across as rude. ... My dumb ass tweeted it in 2020, when we were all going through it that year, mentally. Let me tell my three followers and fans how I feel. I hate that it came up, but I absolutely love Trixie now. I’ve met her. She’s the sweetest person. ... That’s just how she is, and she’s not being rude. Those tweets are no longer what I feel, and Trixie, I’m so sorry girl. Let’s talk about it! I think it would be so funny if Trixie and I talk about it…. I don’t think she can un-mother me, I think that’s illegal.

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Related content:

• Drag Race star Trinity The Tuck slams Caitlyn Jenner's views on separating trans women in sports: 'She's an oxymoron'

• Dawn reveals Drag Race sex rumor she started, reacts to 'Body' lip-sync: 'She dropped a nuke on my ass'

• 'Iconic bitch' Plane Jane on why she saved Nymphia Wind on RuPaul's Drag Race: 'I was also being strategic'

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.