RuPaul has spoken out about the attack at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, saying: “We as American people have some real soul searching to do, and not just on this. Across the board.”
The Skin Wars: Fresh Paint star said the country and those who believe in its principles have been “shaken to the core” by the shooting at the gay venue, which left 50 people dead.
He said: “Every American who believes what this country stands for is shaken to the core. And it really has to stop. A collective shift in our consciousness has to happen.”
Speaking to Access Hollywood Live hosts Kit Hoover and Bryan Safi, he also discussed how gay people in America are not allowed to give blood.
He said: “That’s a relic from the 80s. We’re still a primitive culture and, you know, it’s maybe occasions like this that will advance us, will push us forward.”
And he spoke about how two former contestants from his show RuPaul’s Drag Race were at the club on the night of the attack, but left early.
Asked how America can continue the conversation as the country moves into the future, he said: “There’s so many angles to this story – there’s gun control, there’s the media, there’s crazy people and us listening to crazy thugs and thinking their doctrine is something we need to repeat. No, they’re just crazy. It’s not just one thing.”
But he added: “I do know that love, and I believe in love, is the first step.”