RuPaul Wanted to Keep 'She Mail' on 'Drag Race'

Logo's popular reality series "RuPaul's Drag Race" came under fire last year over the show's segment called "she mail" - where host, RuPaul, would give a message to contestants using the play-on-words. Feeling pressure from social media and fans, show's producers ended up removing the phrase halfway through Season 6, but in a new interview with the Guardian, the drag queen superstar says if it were up to him, he would have kept "she mail" in "Drag Race."

"I would not have changed it, but that's their choice," Ru told the Guardian. "Our intention was always coming from a place of love. On paper, you cannot read intention, so it was actually hurtful."

Social media users and fans of "Drag Race" accused the show and RuPaul of transphobia at the time. Another issue people had with the program was the use of the word "tranny," which was often thrown around by Ru and the contestants. Ru responded to the criticisms in May 2014 on Marc Maron's WTF Podcast, and said he was not offended by the use of the word "tranny."

"No, it is not the transsexual community. These are fringe people who are looking for story lines to strengthen their identity as victims," Ru said at the time. "That is what we're dealing with. It's not the trans community, because most people who are trans have been through hell and high water and they know -- they've looked behind the curtain at Oz and went, 'Oh, this is all a fucking joke.'

"But, some people haven't... You know, if your idea of happiness has to do with someone else changing what they say, what they do, you are in for a fucking hard-ass road," Ru added.

The drag queen also commented on the "she mail" segment.

"My 32-year career speaks for itself. I dance to the beat of a different drummer. I believe that everybody, you can be whatever the hell you wanna be," he told Maron. "I ain't stopping you. But don't you dare tell me what I can do or say. It's just words. Yeah, words do hurt... You know what? Bitch, you need to get stronger.

"You really do, because you know what, if you think, if you're upset by something I said, you have bigger problems than you think," Ru continued. "You know, I can call myself a nigger, faggot, tranny all I want to, because I've fucking earned the right to do it. I've lived the life."

In the recent Guardian interview, Ru explained, "drag is dangerous."

"We are making fun of everything. But when someone doesn't get the joke or feels offended by it, it's a lose-lose situation, because you can't explain a joke," he said. "It isn't funny if you explain it."

Season 7 of "RuPaul's Drag Race" wrapped up this week, crowning Violet Chachki the winner.