“RuPaul's Drag Race” star Farrah Moan comes out as trans: 'I just needed to feel free'

Joey Nolfi
·4 min read
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Farrah told season 14 star Maddy Morphosis that "having a male persona felt more like drag than having to do drag."

RuPaul's Drag Race star Farrah Moan is crying tears of joy after proudly coming out as trans.

The season 9 and All Stars 4 competitor — whose looks are often compared to pop icon and season 10 guest judge Christina Aguilera — revealed the news Thursday on season 14 queen Maddy Morphosis' Give It to Me Straight talk series, telling her Drag Race sister that she made the decision to transition nearly five years ago, after competing on RuPaul's Emmy-winning TV show.

"In 2019, unbeknownst to my following, that's when I made the decision to live my life as a woman," Farrah told Maddy. "It was a forever-coming. The times in my life where I tried to suppress my trans identity, it was because I felt if I ever did it, I would never be on Drag Race, I'd never be successful, I'd never be able to have a job. Back in my day, the trans people that were brave enough to be open and out were very ostracized from society, in my perception."

The 30-year-old Las Vegas performer also explained that she hesitated to transition at the height of her post-show fame after realizing that her dramatic "male-to-female transformation" stoked fan curiosity and interest in her image.

"I think what my breaking point was where I couldn't take it anymore was having a male persona felt more like drag than having to do drag, and that was when I couldn't do it anymore," Farrah explained. "I was like, if I have to buy one more pair of men's pants or figure out what kind of jackets and accessories, trying to figure out how to be a cute boy was so much harder for me and came so much more unnaturally, to the point where I was like I wish I could just go out in drag right now. The thought of dressing like a boy was so stressful to me, it stressed me out so much and I resented every masculine feature my whole life."

She also said that she felt herself come into her true identity as a child, as early as 3 years-old, when she first told her mother that she was going to grow up to be a woman.

"It was always just there. I just needed to feel free," Farrah said, noting that doing drag was the only time she could "feel at home in my body."

<p>Benjamin Lennox/VH1</p> 'Drag Race' star Farrah Moan comes out as trans

Benjamin Lennox/VH1

'Drag Race' star Farrah Moan comes out as trans

Now, living her life authentically, Farrah said through tears that her "daily anxiety levels are much lower," that she doesn't "feel panicked about it anymore," and that she's fully happy with her decision and proud of who she is. "At 30 years old, I actually am so thankful for that," she finished, "because I never thought I would."

Farrah is the latest Drag Race contestant to come out as trans, following season 6 and All Stars 2 competitor Adore Delano — also a former American Idol cast member — who discussed her identity in July, and season 5 queen (and eventual Dragula star) Jade Jolie, who came out as trans in October.

Other stars who've come out in recent years following their Drag Race runs include Laganja Estranja and Gigi Goode, in addition to season 14's record-breaking cast that included five overall trans competitors at one time, including Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté, Kerri Colby, Jasmine Kennedie, Bosco, and winner Willow Pill.

Following Farrah's run on season 9 in 2017, where she finished in eighth place, Farrah competed on All Stars 4 the following year, and ultimately came in ninth. Farrah also met her idol, Aguilera, during an adorable backstage moment on the show, amid other high-profile appearances, including on an episode of Watch What Happens Live, The Trixie & Katya Show, and in Todrick Hall's "Expensive" music video.

RuPaul's Drag Race returns for a new season Jan. 5 on MTV. Watch EW's exclusive interviews with the new cast on our YouTube channel.

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.