Last week, RuPaul’s Drag Race unveiled its new batch of contestants for season 12, and, just like in previous seasons, the cast is made up entirely of cis men.

The reality show has rightly been criticised in the past for having no women, no trans men, and no non-binary people as actual contestants. The only women who have ever appeared on Drag Race are trans women who didn’t declare their gender identity when auditioning – bar Peppermint, a trans woman who RuPaul later indicated was accepted because she’d not yet undergone a significant medical transition.

While this isn’t exactly surprising – RuPaul sparked controversy in 2018 when he told The Guardian that he’d “probably not” allow a transgender woman who had undergone gender-confirmation surgery to compete on the reality show – many Drag Race alumni have now spoken out against the new season. Among them, Detox posted on Twitter: “Enough with the feigned inclusivity. Time to start putting your money where your mouth is,” with the hashtag #AllDragIsValid.

Aja, a non-binary performer from season nine, likened this erasure to workplace discrimination, saying: “Denying trans women the ‘highest’ playform of drag (which was pioneered by them) is wrong and we all know it. Remember not all workplaces are trans-friendly, and drag is the main income for many trans people.”

Fortunately, alternative shows like Dragula are pushing the envelope when it comes to gender representation, with drag king Landon Cider winning its last season. While Drag Race probably won’t be changing its tone overnight, we’ve selected some performers, kings, queens, and artists that we’d love to see represented more in the RPDR universe and beyond.

GENE JEANIE

Named after the Bowie song, Gene Jeanie is the San Francisco drag king and David Bowie impersonator who oscillates between the masculine and feminine, much like the artist himself.

IMP QUEEN

At the heart of Chicago’s underground queer scene is Imp Queen, a trans queen and iconoclast, whose post-gender ballgowns and thumb-suits (yes, you read that correctly) has made her one of the biggest drag names outside RuPaul’s franchise.

CREME FATALE

A self-confessed “professional cupcake”, Creme Fatale is a San Francisco queen known for her pastel-coloured skin and baby doll make-up looks. It also helps that she’s a close collaborator of Sasha Velour and Trixie Mattel.

VICTORIA SIN

You probably recognise Victoria Sin from their visual art, which bleeds together drag performance with writing and moving image to refigure attitudes towards gender, sexuality, and identity, but the Canadian, non-binary queen is also a spellbinding live performer who uses drag to reconfigure binary notions of gender.

PEARL HARBOR

Brooklyn-based Pearl Harbor is a queer poet and drag performer – “if poetry is language fantasy, then drag is life fantasy,” they say – who you probably know for their drag-burlesque collective Switch N’ Play, as well as their performances at The Whitney, MOMA PS1, the Brooklyn museum, and more. Also, their website is literally one of the most aesthetically pleasing things I’ve seen in months, so you should check them out for that reason alone.

VIGOR MORTIS

Also part of the Brooklyn drag scene is Vigor Mortis, a self-titled “non-binary boy”, fellow member of Switch n’ Play – along with Pearl Harbor – and a regular collaborator of Sasha Velour.

NYX NOCTURNE

Nyx Nocturne is a multi-disciplinary artist, who blends together burlesque, drag, jewelry, and tattoos. They are also a part of Switch N’ Play’s chosen family of artists, and pulls off a mean nipple tassle.

PANGAEA

Pangaea’s boots are made for stomping, not walking. Giant cardboard tears and faux guitars; mouse-like prosthetics; and towering platform shoes adorn the non-binary queen’s Instagram, which they’ve transformed into a surreal time capsule, complete with alienesque make-up and a surreal twist.