We Need to Talk About 'RuPaul Drag Race's' Shangela

The Big Picture

• Pierce faces multiple allegations of sexual assault by men, with some incidents dating back to 2012.
• Allegations range from non-consensual sexual encounters due to intoxication to incidents of abuse.
• Accusers stress that their claims are not meant to harm the LGBTQ+ community but to ensure safety.

Shangela Laqueefa Wadley, the stage name of Drag Queen DJ Pierce, awed audiences when she rose to stardom on RuPaul's Drag Race more than ten years ago. Despite being the first person eliminated in the reality series' sophomore season, her endlessly endearing personality and subsequent return to the program cemented her as a fan favorite. She was known for her quick wit, unique style, and immense dance talent. Her time after the show saw the performer reach higher and higher heights of fame, from starring in A Star is Born opposite Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper to co-hosting the landmark series We're Here on HBO. Shangela was an icon for many members of the LGBTQ+ community, but earlier this week, Rolling Stone publication detailed an extensive investigation in which multiple individuals have accused the performer of sexual assault and/or abuse. With multiple alleged claims against D.J. Pierce being presented and numerous people stepping forward with opinions and supposed evidence on the matter, this is a highly complicated situation. Here is what has been reported so far.

On March 18, Rolling Stone published an extensive article documenting the many alleged claims of sexual assault and abuse against Shangela by 5 people, most of whom identify as gay men, with allegations spanning from 2012 to 2020. This is not the first time accusations against Pierce have been made public. In a 2023 lawsuit, Daniel McGarrigle claimed that he was sexually assaulted and subjected to gender violence by Pierce while he worked as a production assistant on We're Here. The series' production company, Buckingham Television, announced in response to this suit that an internal investigation had been launched and that no evidence was found - Pierce personally said that they were 'disgusted' by these allegations. This case was dismissed earlier this month 'with prejudice', with the Rolling Stones report coming out five days after this dismissal.

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Shangela Faces Accusations of Sexual Assault

The report revealed that, while McGarrigle's accusations were some of the most public, it was not the first time a person had made their accusations known. In 2018, Edward Ramirez, who was 21 at the time, said that during a night of drinking, he ended up back at Pierce's apartment, where he claimed the performer shoved him to the floor of a closet and attempted to penetrate him. He detailed this experience in the online blog ATRL, saying that he had bought all of his drinks that night and that he decided not to go to the police because he didn't feel they would respect him as a gay Black man. Pierce's lawyer, Andrew Brettler, has provided three witness statements that attested to Ramirez and Pierce not being alone together during the night Ramirez claimed this happened. One of the said witnesses said that no instances that 'could be construed as sexual assault or any form of misconduct' occurred. Ramirez affirmed that the alleged assault happened in a closet when others were leaving and that he made it very clear multiple times that he was not consenting.

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Many of the allegations detailed the people being too intoxicated to give consent when the alleged assaults took place. One of the people filing a suit, Zachary, alleges that he met Pierce in 2015 at 23 in a meet-and-greet in New Orleans. He claims that the performer insisted on giving him multiple drinks, supplying him with alcohol until he 'blacked out.' He alleges to have been woken up from this state of unconsciousness by Pierce encouraging another unknown man to penetrate Zachary. A situation to which he immediately said, 'No.' Brettler claims that any sexual acts between them were consensual and that they actually kept up a texting friendship for months after, which Zachary does not deny. He claims to have not recognized the severity of his situation until seeing McGarrigle's public allegations, similar to another accuser Helmer.

Pierce Denies Engaging In Nonconsensual Sex

Helmer alleges to have met Pierce while working at an LA-based bar in 2017 when he was 20. He claims the older man (Pierce was 36 then) asked him to dinner and ordered him a drink, after which Helmer claims to have no more memory of the night and regained consciousness naked the next day in Pierce's bed. According to him, when asked what happened, Pierce allegedly informed Helmer that they had sex with another man Helmer invited, supposedly telling him, '...you were really into it'. Helmer filed a police report against Pierce in 2023; Brettler claimed that their sex was consensual and that Helmer had continued reaching out to Pierce afterward, never accusing him of assault.

The report's final two accusers shared similar allegations to their experiences with Pierce. Zein Checri claims that in 2017, when he was 18, he met Pierce at a nightclub in London. Both affirm that they ended the night together in Pierce's hotel room. Checri claims he was so intoxicated that he threw up in the bed before the other man attempted to penetrate him. Pierce and a witness who had been staying in the room next door claim that the duo had participated in foreplay before going to sleep, which was interrupted by Checri throwing up in bed and subsequently being asked to leave.

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This is similar to the account of RoyLee Soliz, who alleges to have met the performer at a meet-and-greet in 2012 (Soliz was 20) after a performance at Texas A&M University. They claim to have been given drinks by Pierce throughout the evening before accepting his offer to stay the night where he was staying. Soliz says that they accepted this on goodwill due to the other's status in the LGBTQ+ community, but alleges that after drinking, they 'passed out' and remember Pierce trying to insert his penis into his mouth, despite Soliz not being able to provide consent. Pierce allegedly has no recollection of meeting Soliz but, as stated by his lawyer, 'adamantly denies ever engaging in nonconsensual sex of any kind with them, or anyone else.'

What's Happening With Shangela Now?

These allegations are ongoing, and it is unclear if legal proceedings are occurring at this time. One commonality in all these accusations is that each person clarified that they do not want their claims to be used as fuel for any ongoing discrimination in the country. They used this spotlight as a chance to speak out against the hateful anti-Drag and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being pushed in multiple states throughout the U.S. They claim that these accusations are in no way a blanket defamation of Drag performers as a whole. Rather, they allege that their accusations and the resulting article are to safeguard an already vulnerable community. If you or someone you know experienced or are currently experiencing sexual assault, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

RuPaul's Drag Race Season 16 airs Fridays at 8:00 pm EST on MTV. All seasons are available for streaming on Paramount+. Watch on Paramount+

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