Roxxxy Andrews is here to make it known that you can’t read the doll, especially those competing with her to gain the ultimate $200,000 charitable donation from RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 9.
Andrews told Blavity’s Shadow and Act that even though she has been strategic this season, she’s not the only one.
“The strategic thinking was a thing that was with everybody. We didn’t know going into the season how the badges worked. We didn’t know how they were going to be handed out. We didn’t know a lot of stuff. So this is all new to all of us,” she said. “We were kind of figuring it out together. As far as myself being the mathematician, you know, we were sitting and getting ready, and we were thinking about these badges that were going to be given away. And, there was a point where Nina [West] and Shannel brought up that they can give them to each other, so it was a little bit of everybody. I wouldn’t say that I’m the only mathematician. We’re definitely doing math where we didn’t expect we were. But as far as strategy, I mean if you go into a competition without strategy, then you’re not going in to win.”
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The charity Andrews is playing for, Miracle of Love, is an Orlando, Florida, organization doing big things in central Florida. Andrews said the charity “means a lot” to her.
“It’s a organization that I see do the work first, you know, firsthand. And they’re not a huge nationally known organization,” Andrews said. “And I know the help that they need and if I can help in any way, that’s why I chose them because I wanted to get them to get that national exposure and see the hard work that they do and choosing a local charity meant a lot to me. I definitely thought it would have happened with more contestants, but I love all of the charities that they, you know, everybody has a link to their charities, and that’s what’s most beautiful. I definitely would love to give them as much money as I can because they don’t have the funding that big organizations do.”
The organization also runs an initiative called Divas in Dialogue that specifically helps trans men and women of color in need.
“What they do is they help navigate trans women and men also if they need the help to come in and get those gender markers changed and, you know, let them get them off of the streets, doing sex work and things like that,” she said. “[The initiative is] letting them navigate the world as every adult does with a normal job and, you know, legally where they’re not putting themselves out in harm or danger or in jail. It means a lot to me growing up, having almost all of my best friends be trans women of color. They helped me navigate my life. I don’t ever want them in any harm. I don’t ever want them to be doing things that they don’t need to be doing and [want] them [to] live as their authentic selves.”
Andrews talked more about how the organization is bearing the brunt of the round of attacks from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. She said she sees them doing what needs to be done against DeSantis’ bigotry.
“If I could answer it with one phrase, it’s the fact that I see them do the work. There’s so many organizations, but you can’t tell me that you see the work being done all the time,” Andrews said. “You know that [Miracle of Love] is doing their job, and they’re doing great work that they need to be provided funding for. To see these girls out there working their butts off when they could be partying at the clubs. They could be getting into trouble, [but] they’re handing out condoms to make sure that if somebody makes a made choice, [they got] that condom at the club from the girls. And [with] Divas in Dialogue, [someone can say], ‘I need to go get PrEP, and they gave me information on where to go get PrEP.’ Or, [someone saying], ‘I’m thinking of transitioning; I don’t know what to do,’ they can walk into Miracle of Love and talk to the Divas in Dialogue. And now they can show them how to live their authentic lives because that’s what they do. That’s how they’ve gone about it.”
“Now [trans people in contact with Miracle of Love] have gender markers changed, and they know they can get together with other trans people and go to the movies and go bowling and know that it’s not bad to live how you feel you should live. A lot of people coming out as trans, they lose their families, they lose their friends and to have that circle makes people not want to be suicidal or do bad things because they have each other to lean on,” she continued. “I grew up with trans women of color being my best friends and teaching me. I’m not a trans woman, but it’s different when you’re trans and you can connect with someone who is trans, and that’s just so beautiful to me. If I could give them my bank account, I would just throw money at [Miracle of Love].”
Thanks to her win during the acting challenge in which the queens were paired up for real estate videos, Andrews could add to her bank account for Miracle of Love. She said the win was “amazing.”
“You know, to get that win, that’s the personal [validation] of ‘Yes, I still got it. I got another win. I got another badge.’ And then when that lip sync goes off and I know that that money is going to be able to go to my charity, it’s amazing. [I went] balls to the wall, for lack of better words. I am not leaving that stage. I don’t care if I have to go dripping in blood, I’m going to win this lip sync for this charity, and I’m an undefeated lip sync assassin, so I definitely got more riding on my coattails. There ain’t nobody that’s going to be at me if we got a song playing.”
Her acting partner, Plastique Tiara, was also a badge winner and had to go up against her in the lip sync. Even though Tiara didn’t win the lip sync, Andrews said Tiara was amazing to work with.
“I see them as my children,” she said of the younger queens like Tiara. She also said she looks up to the younger queens. She added, “At the same time that I know they have watched me and learned from me and they make me feel so special that it’s hard sometimes to go up against them, but at the end of the day, Mother’s got to teach why Mother’s Mother.”
For her fans who consider her Mother as well, they can meet her all across the country this year.
“They can see me on the road on the All Stars 9 tour presented by World of Wonder and Voss Entertainment,” she said, adding that they will tour throughout the summer and fall. “Then right after that, I’ll be doing the Peter and Murray Drag Queen Christmas tour all holiday [season], going to all cities in the U.S. and Canada. I’ll be everywhere.”
Season 9 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars drops new episodes each Friday on Paramount+.