Tempest DuJour exclusive interview - gay conversion therapy and RuPaul's Drag Race

by Daniel Falconer | 29 April 2015

Though Tempest DuJour's time on RuPaul's Drag Race season seven was shortlived, she was still a queen who made a huge impression on fans of the franchise, having beaten out thousands of applicants to make her way onto one of the grandest stages on television.

Returning for a second episode a couple of weeks back, Tempest opened up about her past and what she went through, including a few mentions of gay conversion therapy. Knowing she had more story to tell, we approached Tempest for an interview, and you can find out what she had to say all about the therapies, RuPaul's Drag Race and more below.

We saw you on your second episode of Drag Race opening up about your past and the gay conversion therapy you were put through - can you tell us more about that whole experience and how you found yourself going through that?

I was raised in a very conservative, Mormon household. Being gay wasn't an option for maintaining my membership in the church so I tried many times to "pray away the gay". After years of depression and anxiety because my prayers didn't work I sought counselling. These "counselors" referred me to other therapists who tried conversion and reparative therapies on me. Needless to say it did little more than make me more confused, angry, and disillusioned about my faith. It was all self-imposed in my case, I feel such empathy for those kids out there whose parents commit them to camps and other "therapies", like seen in the documentary Kidnapped for Christ. It's all incredibly detrimental to the human spirit and mind. There are no legitimate studies that show that these practices work at all. I was so desperate to become "normal" that I was willing to do whatever it took. Thank God I survived it all because many do not.

This is such a taboo topic that's rarely touched upon despite it still going on around the world, how important do you think it is to educate people on the dangers of forcing people through therapy such as this?

All discrimination and bias is based in fear. Fear of the unknown, or misunderstood. People need to become educated. I'm not asking anyone to agree with my personal beliefs, but I am demanding that you respect me. Gay conversion therapies are all religiously based practices. I had to completely remove myself from that world in order to find myself. That's what worked for me. I still consider myself a spiritual person but I am not a fan of organized religion.

At what stage in your life did you realise that it was OK to be yourself?

I was a late bloomer and didn't come out to myself or my family until I was almost age 30. Everyone around me assumed I was gay and one day I realized that they were all right. I wasn't going to pretend I could change anymore and I still very clearly remember the first time I said "I'm gay!" out loud, to myself. It was a beautiful and cathartic moment for me. Suddenly and ironically I felt closer to God than I ever had for being my authentic self and acknowledging the person I was meant to be.

What words do you have to share with people who may now be going through struggles similar to the ones you've been through?

Anyone struggling with their sexuality should remove themselves from their routine for a while so they can make choices and judgements in an unbiased way. It wasn't until I moved away from my Mormon culture and circle of friends, and stopped attending church that I was able to consider a different way of thinking. I still meet many wonderful people who are struggling with religion. I usually ask them this question: "If being gay was such a horrible thing, don't you think Christ would have mentioned it SOMEWHERE in the scriptures?"

Back in episode one we heard you talking about your fantastic weight loss, was there a specific plan you followed to shed so much weight?

My weight loss came about after a terrible car accident that almost killed me. My left leg was almost torn off and I broke many bones. I was left unable to walk for almost six months and it gave me a lot of time to consider how I wanted to live the rest of my life. My weight was definitely inhibiting my happiness and I wanted to be around to see my children grow up so I knew I had to make some serious changes. I wish there was some magic formula, but for me I had to massively cut back on the amount of food I was eating and cut certain things out of my diet completely. It's still a day to day struggle. I'm an emotional eater; eating when I'm sad, happy, depressed, anxious, whatever the case may be.

Recently I was carrying a 50 lb. bag of dog food, a heavy load, and I realized that I've lost three of these bags! I actually had a real "ah-ha!" moment on the Drag Race stage when Michelle Visage and Kathy Griffin told me that I had to stop seeing myself as a big girl. I still love eating, but I love myself in the mirror now more than any food.

The library is open for next week's mini-challenge, can you give us your best reads of the remaining queens?

I'm going to save my beast reads for the reunion show coming up...

At this point in the competition, who do you think has the best chance of taking home the crown?

I'd like to see Ginger Minj take home the crown this season. It's time for a talented big girl to win and she possesses all the best qualities of drag. But then Katya is one of the funniest queens I've ever met! These are probably my favourites of the remaining queens.

Your entry into Drag Race was one of the funniest we've seen in some time - that poor baby! Is humour like this your forté?

My entrance was everything I hoped it would be! You only get one chance at a first impression so I wanted to do something unique and memorable. My sense of humour can be a bit warped and I like pushing boundaries, so giving birth on the workroom floor felt so natural to me. And I had a feeling they were going to portray me as a mother hen character so I gave them what they wanted. Unfortunately I was forced to remove the bloody umbilical cord moments before I stepped out because of network standards. My plan was just to drag the baby around all day from my crotch.

Will you be back if asked to compete in All-Stars 2?

I would do All Stars 2 in a heartbeat! I love the show, I love the competition, and I feel a bit cheated out of my opportunity to give the world a real taste of what Tempest DuJour has to offer. It kills me that I missed out on the acting and comedy challenges because I would have SLAYED them!

Finally what's next for Tempest DuJour? We'd love to see you in the UK!

I'm keeping very bust traveling across America performing but I'm DYING to get to the UK! I think that my humour and aesthetic would be appreciated there so I hope there will be some dates coming up in the near future! I also continue my wildly popular and fabulous monthly Retro Game Show Night (sold out for 3 1/2 years now!). I'm hoping to produce more YouTube content like my elimination response video "Tempest DuJour's Very Bad Day", and there are some other ideas developing as well. My husband is convinced that I should fill the "mature" drag celebrity spot left vacant by the recently retired Dame Edna, and who knows, maybe I will! I always say 'Drag is my Drug' and I'm going to keep on entertaining as long as the audiences show up!