Pandora Nox makes herstory as first cis woman and lesbian to win Drag Race

After 15 years of Drag Race competitions, the Vienna-based performer is the first cis woman and first lesbian to win the competition.

News . Written by Nicole Lee.

Pandora Nox sits on pink throne wearing drag make up, she became the first cis woman to win Drag Race!
Image: X @lee_fontaine

Pandora Nox has been crowned the winner of Drag Race Germany, making her the first-ever cis woman and lesbian to win a season of the franchise.

The Vienna-based performer wowed the judges during the inaugural season of the German edition and ultimately took home the crown after the finale which aired on Monday, November 20.

When she entered the competition, Nox was an immediate fan favourite. She won two challenges during the first episode, runway in episode four and the ball challenge in episode seven.

During the final episode, Nox performed alongside fellow finalists Metamorkid and Yvonne Nightstand while judges Barbie Breakout, Dianne Brill and Gianni Jovanovic watched the three queens lip sync to RuPaul’s ‘Call Me Mother’ and ‘Rise Like a Phoenix’.

After accepting the crown, she said, “It’s really extremely overwhelming because I’m not just the first winner of Drag Race Germany, but also the first cis woman.”

 

To celebrate, Nox took the opportunity to walk the Glitter Party runway as a proud drag king. She was the second-ever contestant to perform as a drag king on the show, the first being Victoria Scone in 2022 during Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World.

Performing as a drag king made a powerful impact because, while Drag Race has seen a variety of genders compete on the show, including trans contestants and heterosexual male queens, many fans have called attention to the show’s lack of kings.

There is an unfortunate perception that drag kings are less legitimate than drag queens, and by focusing on only one type of drag, the Drag Race franchise is said to perhaps be unintentionally contributing to this stereotype.

Drag kings are powerful performers who can transform masculinity into something that is both beautiful and satirical, and many fans agree that including drag kings in Drag Race could be an exciting and refreshing addition to the show.

 

After 15 years of Drag Race competitions, Pandora was only the third-ever assigned female at birth (AFAB) contestant to compete in the franchise. Previous AFAB contestants include the first cisgender woman to compete on the show – the aforementioned Victoria Scone from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season three and Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World, followed by Clover Bish, who appeared on Drag Race España season three.

 

 

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