Nymphia Wind makes ‘herstory’ as first “Drag Race” winner to perform for Taiwan’s president

Nymphia Wind, the recent winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16, has made herstory by performing for Taiwan’s pro-LGBTQ+ President Tsai Ing-wen.

Wind, a Taiwanese drag performer, performed on Wednesday alongside five other queens — all clad in individual colors of the rainbow —for Tsai and other guests at the presidential palace. Wind lip-synched to pansexual pop diva Lady Gaga’s “Marry the Night,” Taiwanese pop star Huang Fei’s “Chase, Chase, Chase” and a rendition of Jolin Tsai’s gender equality anthem, “Womxnly,” Pride reported.

Related: Karine Jean-Pierre went to a D.C. gay bar with 8 queens from “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars”

And they had a kiki about standing up to anti-LGBTQ+ panic.

“During my eight years as president, it’s the first time the presidential palace has been so lively, filled with vibrant colors and so many beautiful people,” Tsai said in remarks after the performance.

Global perspectives delivered right to your inbox

Our newsletter bridges borders to bring you LGBTQ+ news from around the world.

Daily Weekly Good News

“Today’s Taiwan is a global Taiwan. Taiwan’s Nymphia is also a queen of the world,” Tsai added, noting that Wind will also perform at the Taiwan Pavilion during this year’s Paris Summer Olympics. “I believe Nymph’s journey of growth will also inspire many young people in Taiwan to be courageous to stay true to themselves without fear,” Tsai said.

Nymphia told Tsai, “This is probably the first presidential office in the world to host a drag show.” She then thanked the president for helping make Taiwan the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage and noted that Tsai was also the first woman elected as Taiwan’s president.

“Thank you for your contributions to this country so that I could grow up to be like this today,” Nymphia added. “Thank you for your eight years of dedication, becoming our Taiwan mother.”

In response, Tsai said, “Shantay, you stay,” quoting RuPaul’s line to queens who win her “Lip Synch for Your Life” competitions at the end of each show.

Taiwan hosts the world’s largest Asian LGBTQ+ Pride event in history. Last year’s event celebrated two recent LGBTQ+ rights victories in the country: the legalization of gay adoption and the recognition of Taiwanese same-sex spouses who were married in foreign countries.

Lai Ching-te — the country’s vice president and a leading presidential candidate who is running as the progressive party’s candidate — marched in the parade, making him the highest-ranked politician to do so.

Tawain will host WorldPride in 2025, marking the event’s 50th anniversary.

Wind has been hailed as the first East Asian winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Season 3 of the competition was won by Raja, a queen of Dutch and Indonesian descent. Indonesia is a southeast Asian country.

Don't forget to share: