Eva Le Queen on drag hitting the mainstream: 'It's being enjoyed by everyone'

In the first season of "Drag Race Philippines," Eva Le Queen expressed her hope for Philippine drag is to be able to professionalize it and be able to remove any barriers limiting the craft to bars and nightclubs.

It seems to be coming to fruition. In Wednesday's episode of "Surprise Guest with Pia Arcangel," Eva Le Queen expressed her joy. After just one season of "Drag Race Philippines, the art of drag is "slowly starting to penetrate the mainstream [media]." 

“I think ngayon, sa dami ng mga shows na ginawa ko, siguro mga 90-95% ng fans namin are all females,” the drag queen said. “Females na usually kasama yung anak, yung asawa nila, and then some drag show may mga bata, so the concept of drag now is taking [on] the mainstream," she told Pia Arcangel.

According to Eva, she owes it all to "Drag Race Philippines" for opening the door of opportunities and acceptance for local drag queens.

"'Yung drag kasi, suddenly hindi na lang siya niche market," Eva said. “Hindi na lang siya for members of LGBT. It's now something that is being enjoyed by everyone from all walks of life."

At the "Drag Race Philippines" S1 finale last October 2022, Eva told GMA News Online that the "Philippines is ready for [more] queer talent."

And true enough, the drag scene in the Philippines is slowly evolving from night shows in bars and nightclubs to "drag brunch" and "merienDrag" in restaurants and coffee shops.

On top of that, drag queens already have representation in TV shows, series, and movies — such as Eva's participation in GMA's romantic drama series "The Write One."

In the show, Eva plays Queenie, a character she describes as non-binary. — Hermes Joy Tunac/LA, GMA Integrated News