A Chat with Bimini on International Non-Binary Day

Bimini Bon Boulash looking stunning in mauve

 

Today (July 13th) is International Non-Binary Day, in fact Non-Binary Awareness week began on July 11th. Inclusivity and visibility has come on in leaps and bounds even in the last year with celebrities  such as Courtney Stodden, Demi Lovato and Sam Smith all coming out as non-binary. This week, The Crown star Emma Corrin said that she often used a binder and accepted the pronoun 'they'.

 

We are all inclusive here at Box Menswear and we have some highlights from a recent interview by the United Queendom Podcast with RuPaul's Drag Race UK Season 2 runner up Bimini Bon Boulash who has stepped into the limelight with aplomb since being on the show. Enjoy! 

 

Did you think you were going to win Drag Race?

"I felt like a winner no matter what happened anyway. I went into the competition hoping that I was just going to get to the final, and obviously it nearly didn't happen first week, so to be able to get to where I did, and prove I deserved to be there, and have that kind of narrative - basically no one on Drag Race has ever lip synced first episode and then made it to the final, so already for me that was like - I'd exceeded any expectations I had. Obviously going into it, we were all together, so I was happy with whoever won, you don't need the crown to feel like a winner. Is it a relief to not to win? Not really, it would've been iconic to say I won Drag Race, but I'm also very proud of Lawrence, and Lawrence fully deserved it. But I don't know if I'd be able to be doing all the stuff I'm doing now if I had, so maybe... I've been working on music, lots of performances, and working on a lot of cool editorial photoshoots, shot with Italian Vogue, there are big moments coming out."

 

You've been very busy since Drag Race finished...

"I've been doing loads, it's really amazing, obviously the platform that Drag Race has given me in the UK has been phenomenal, so I'm very grateful for every opportunity, I'm taking it as it comes and seeing what happens. I've just released music, and I want people to be surprised, I never want to take the expected route."

 

Why do you think Lawrence was crowned over you?

"The universe decided I think. The universe creates the path for us all, and that was Lawrence's and this was mine. I was blown away by the response of everyone. You go on a show like that and you obviously hope that people are gonna get you and people are gonna warm to you and you never know what's gonna happen, it's an edited TV show, you often forget the cameras are on. And I think that was what the beauty was with our season because I think everyone did kind of just let go and forget the cameras were there, no one was trying to do catchphrases or trying to do things for the cameras to act up so I think everyone was their true selves and that really shone."

 

Now THAT'S how you wear a dress on the BAFTA red carpet

 

Why do you think the Covid break halfway through the season benefited you more than your competitors?

"I think I was able to take some time, obviously a lot of time, seven months worth, but the first part of Drag Race I wasn't really present because I obviously lip synced and I thought maybe I was going lose it, and then I thought I was clinging on and hanging on by a thread, just trying to get back. And then when I went back I thought - I know what I can do, I know what I can prove, I went back with the mentality that actually, I'm not competing with anyone, everything I'm doing is just me, and ultimately I'm just gonna put my best foot forward and hope for the best. I really kind of let go. That was it, I really let go. If there hadn't been a break I was going to do Jennifer Saunders for Snatch Game. It would've been more Eddie I think. So I wonder how that would've gone, I don't know. I've always done Eddie in skits before, that kind of character. But I think the Pricey was perfect..."

 

Have you met Katie Price following your iconic- and winning -  impression of her on the Snatch Game?

"Not personally. I did think we were gonna do something, that was kind of spoken about but that hasn't happened yet. Maybe some day, We were actually in the same building once - I was on a photo shoot for Notion magazine, and Katie was, I don't know what she was doing, but everyone was like, 'Bimini and Katie are in the same building together!' But we miraculously never bumped into each other. You've never seen us in the same room together..!"

 

Are the United Ken Dolls continuing?

"I think we'll just be performing our hit song UK Hun. I think sometimes the magic can feel like you're trying to force it and what we did was so good, it would be a shame if we did stuff that was not as good. Sometimes you can be the one hit wonder and go on and live your lives. We're all solo artists and we're all individual artists, we got put together for that performance and it was obviously magical and we all loved it, but we've also all four of us agree that we want to be doing our own stuff as well."

 

We're not sure if these boot were made for walking but they sure look good!

 

It drove everyone crazy being stuck in their heads endlessly!

"I'm immune to it now. There was one time I signed up to Cameo and I got inundated with a lot of Cameo requests so I did them all in one day and I never went back, it's a lot of work to do! I think about 30 times I had to rap my verse, Release the beast, so I think I'm desensitised to it now..."

 

Would you do Only Fans?

"Maybe, I'm not opposed to an Only Fans. That's a completely valid way to be experimenting and using your body. Anybody who wants to do it, even Beyonce is rapping about Only Fans in her song Savage remix with Meg the Stallion. We'll see, maybe not this year..."

 

Have you had any famous fans that have surprised you?

"Maisie Williams, she's quite a crazy one, bloody hell! Even though I was Team Targariaon. And Kathy Burke, she blew my mind. She was my third choice for Snatch game, more as Linda from Gimme Gimme Gimme."

 

How did you feel when recently it was decided the Tory government wouldn't recognise non binary legally?

"Just give it a few more years when I come knocking on Downing Street's doors then we'll see what happens."

 

Bimini and pals at the NME Awards looking tres fancy 

 

Bimini for PM?

"Maybe Bimini for mayor first. Sadiq can pass on the baton, Sadiq's my mate, we had lunch. But I would like to. I've always been very political. I wouldn't say no to it. I'm just always going to do it and I'm always going to be vocal and say what I think. I'm very lucky that I came up from a scene in east London where these conversations have been had but they're also not the defining character of people. Everyone's identity and everyone's journey is totally valid. And it's how you see yourself and how you are, and that shouldn't be judged or discriminated by anyone. What I love about east London is, those conversations are accepted by everyone, there's no judgement there, so I'm lucky to have that, and I know not everyone has had that, and I hope these conversations we have open that up a bit more. Wait til I'm in parliament - in a look!"

 

How did you come up with your name?

"It was weird, I love alliteration. It came from Bimini was what I was going be called if I was female, they were like, 'are we giving Bimini a pink blanket or a blue blanket?' And then I had a cat called Bonnie Boulash who died unfortunately. That's where Bon Boulash came from. What's funny is, I remember saying to my housemate, you watch, 2022, Bimini is going to be the top female name. One of the top name everyone calls their kids. All I've had on Instagram is pigs and puppies. People sending me pics of their pigs called Bimini... thanks..."

 

How have you dealt with the intense Drag Race fanbase?

"I've been quite lucky I think, in that I've not received a lot of shit which I'm grateful for, but the fans are great, they're what keeps the show going. For a lot of queer people who feel like they're outsiders, kind of, this show opens up to that weirdness of people, it's something we can relate to, we see people we see some sort of resemblance with. The fans can be crazy but we'd be annoyed if they weren't."

 

What was it like witnessing the now legendary H&M meltdown from RuPaul?

"What was quite interesting about that, is we were told we don't get judged on our performance looks, you just get judged on the runways, so it did seem a bit misplaced, a bit like, where's that coming from? Either coming from a place of pure hatred for that dress or just like, yeah, I don't know... I love how Joe handled the situation, putting the dress up for charity and it's made loads of money, and I think that's amazing."

 

Would you like to see more trans representation on Drag Race?

"Absolutely it's only right, it's starting to happen, with Gotmik being a contestant, and Drag Race has got the power to open people's minds and hearts. The popularity it has, it can help everyone that feels like an outsider there's loads of different genders in drag, and none are right or wrong, anyone can do it. I think I'd like to see that for sure."