Who Is RuPaul's Drag Race's Denali?
Season 13 of Rupaul's Drag Race debuted on January 1, 2021, and fans of the show were introduced to a brand new cast of drag queens all vying for the top spot. One of the new members of the show is Denali, an ice skater who hails from Chicago, Illinois (via Screenrant).
In addition to skating, Denali is also dabbling in the CBD industry. Denali just launched a non-alcoholic CBD seltzer called Denali's Winter Wildflower. Block Club Chicago notes that the drink is inspired by Denali's Mexican heritage and Alaskan upbringing.
Denali is also no stranger to Drag Race. According to an interview with Drag Huh!, Denali has been watching the show for years, saying, "I'm a professional ice skater outside of drag and worked for years on cruise ships where The Gays (TM) onboard would all gather on Sundays and watch Drag Race. Season five was my first introduction and I was obsessed. Any opportunity to throw on a sad Revlon lip and walk into crew parties in a heel and I was there."
Denali has a drag mother named Chamilla
Denali has also spoken about drawing inspiration from other drag queens, saying, "My inspirations from drag come from all over but they majorly come from my local scene. I kind of did things backwards and discovered Drag Race first and then my local divas. My drag mother is THE Mexican queen of Chicago and a complete glamour icon named Chamilla Foxx" (via Drag Huh!).
Like many of the other contestants, Denali is also politically engaged. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Denali explained that the origins of drag are political all by themselves.
"Drag in itself is so political, in being such an outright rebellious art form. In skating, I grew up in a controlled environment, a privileged, white environment, where you were told to not speak out and train and do your job, but drag gave me a voice. I'm going to put that through my drag and express myself."
Unfortunately, Gay Times shared that Denali was voted off the show in the first episode, so until RuPaul explains the season's twist, Denali's fate remains a mystery.