Drag Race’s Shea Couleé threw iced coffee at man who called her racist and homophobic slurs
Shea Couleé won RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 5. (Daniel Boczarski/Getty)
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shea Couleé has revealed she stood up to a recent incident of racist and homophobic abuse by launching her iced coffee at the aggressor.
Taking to Twitter on Tuesday (2 August), Couleé, who won RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 5, claimed that she had witnessed three teenage girls get harassed by a man who called them “w****s” outside of a Starbucks.
After telling him that it was inappropriate and asking him not to speak to young women in that way, Couleé claims he called her a ‘f****t” and a “n****r”.
Her response? “I threw my full iced Americano in his face”, she wrote.
The performer continued to say that an onlooker then stood up for the man, rather than the people being abused.
“Then some crusty old white dude told me that my reaction was uncalled for even though he sat there the entire time while this man harassed these other girls and myself,” Couleé wrote.
“Firstly, as a white person, NEVER tell a black person how to respond to being called a ‘n****r’
“And second, he’s lucky I didn’t have a second iced Americano, cuz he would have been covered in espresso too.”
Couleé joked that she had never thrown a drink on someone before, but that it “felt incredible”.
Her actions have been praised by her Twitter followers, with many joking that she should buy more Americanos so she’s prepared for such incidents.
Another follower jested that Americanos should be donated to the drag queen for emergencies such as this.
Many others shared their want to buy her a new one for the purpose of throwing, or, just enjoying.
In August 2022, Couleé’s casting in upcoming Disney+ Marvel series Ironheart, which is expected to premier in 2024, was announced.
Fans have speculated that she’s been cast as Shade, more recently knwon as Darkveil: A mutant from the comics with the ability to teleport and whose character is inspired by a number of drag queens, including herself.
Here’s what to do if you’re a victim of hate crime or witness it taking place
While Shea Couleé’s coffee-throwing actions may have provide an amusing visual, the fact is, hate crime and verbal abuse can quickly escalate, and LGBTQ+ should be cautious about engaging with aggressors.
In the UK, hate crime falls into three different categories: physical assault, verbal abuse, and incitement to hatred, which, aside from the obvious, also includes things such as intimidating behaviour and damaging property.
If someone is in immediate danger or needs support right away, they should call 999 in the UK and ask for the police (or the ambulance service if they are in need of urgent medical assistance).
After a hate crime has taken place, it can be reported in a number of ways in the UK, including online, over the phone via 101, or in person at a police station.
There are also charities that support people and offer advice. Crimestoppers allows people to report crime anonymously, and Galop supports LGBTQ+ victims of abuse and violence.
