Drag Race UK sensation Nyongbella has voiced profound distress over a landmark Supreme Court ruling that she believes has effectively legalised bigotry against transgender people. The popular performer, who gained a cult following on the latest BBC series, opened up exclusively to the Mirror during November's Trans Awareness Month about the ruling's damaging consequences.
A Landmark Ruling and Its Impact
The Supreme Court's decision in April 2025 determined that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' refer specifically to biological sex rather than gender identity. For Nyongbella and many in the trans community, this judgment has created what she describes as a climate of increased fear and legitimised discrimination.
'It's said the quiet part out loud,' Nyongbella revealed. 'When you're a trans person or part of any marginalised group, you become accustomed to facing opposition. We'd become used to it being small instances, but now with the Supreme Court ruling, it feels like that quiet minority is now loud and in the forefront.'
Trans Awareness Month's Vital Role
Nyongbella emphasised the crucial importance of Trans Awareness Month in building community and providing support networks for those exploring their gender identity. 'It allows people who wouldn't otherwise have access to information, or just to community, to gain community and information,' she explained.
The drag star highlighted how the awareness month serves both as a celebration of progress and a vital resource, particularly needed now when many feel increasingly vulnerable. 'It does so much to remember how far we've come in terms of representation, in terms of our standing in society,' she noted.
Everyday Fears and Hyper-awareness
The ruling has created practical concerns for Nyongbella's daily life, despite what she describes as her relative privilege regarding 'passability.' 'I've been perceived as female longer in my adult life than I was perceived as male,' she acknowledged. 'But now more than ever I am hyper-aware that if I'm going in to use a restroom or something, if one person stares at you a bit too long, you're like "oh gosh is this person going to kick up a giant fuss?"'
Her flourishing career since Drag Race UK brings additional anxieties as she travels to unfamiliar territories across Wales, Scotland, and other parts of the UK. 'When I'm in these new places that I have no sense of familiarity with, it's even more of a worry,' she confessed.
Nyongbella concluded with a sobering assessment: 'It almost gives [bigoted people] a legalised out to say, "I'm just keeping in mind with the Supreme Court ruling." It's like legitimacy to bigotry, and it does leave a lot of people with a lot of worry. It is very distressing.'
