Liverpool’s The Vivienne has named her top five queer icons and among those is a familiar face for those from Merseyside.
The 30-year-old is currently appearing on the first ever winners’ season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars after sweeping the competition in the BBC's inaugural season of the UK version. In promotion of the season, the performer has been letting her American fans get to know her a little bit better by sharing who inspires her.
Kickstarting the list was Birkenhead -born musician and television personality, Pete Burns. The lead vocalist of the pop band, Dead or Alive, who is originally from Port Sunlight, was well known for his extreme looks and for singing You Spin Me Round before his death in 2016. However, many of his fans, including The Vivienne, remember him for his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother. One memorable scene saw the 80s pop star’s allegedly gorilla fur coat be removed from the house following complaints from viewers and housemates while other episodes saw him educate others on the LGBTQIA+ community.
READ MORE: The 'camp' Liverpool AFAB queen showing drag is for everyone and not just men
Speaking more on Pete Burns as an inspiration to GayTimes, The Vivienne said: “Pete Burns, definitely, so ahead of his time. He was so in tune with what was actually going on, I think he showed that in Big Brother. If you look at the Big Brother clips now, especially with the conversations about gender, he was on to it. There was that great conversation between him and Jodie Marsh where she says, 'Why do you wear a dress?' and he says, 'Well you are sat there in pants.'”
Other ‘icons’ who got an honourable mention on the list included RuPaul, Alan Turning, the hero who helped defeat the Nazis and whose face can be found on £50 notes as well as Maisie Trollette, the oldest working drag queen in the UK. Rounding off The Vivienne’s top five list was Cher, which is hardly surprising given that she regularly tours the country impersonating the Believe singer and has a tattoo of her on her arm.
The former 'gay town' host and DJ said: “She’s kind of queer adjacent. Cher is a drag queen and, again, she is so ahead of her time. I think gay people relate to Cher because of the s*** she has been through as well. She’s always been there for us and she is fully aware of how much support gay people give her. She’s there, tattooed on my arm.”
