VIBE Vixen’s Boss Talk podcast amplifies the voices of women and she/her-identifying individuals in their respective industries as they discuss their journeys toward becoming the bosses we know today. From their demeanor and confidence and persevering through life’s pitfalls to make a name for themselves in their own way, being a boss is much more than ‘just running sh*t.’
Miss Peppermint started as a staple in the New York nightlife scene, and after appearing as a contestant on the ninth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, she’s continued to make a name for herself.
Outside of the show, she’s traveled the world and is hoping to release her third album, which she hints will be influenced by the ’90s, R&B, and neo-soul. She’s also planning on re-releasing her debut album, Hardcore Glamour, for its 10-year anniversary.
“I’ll be doing a lot in New York this year for World Pride,” she explains to Boss Talk’s host, J’na Jefferson. Pride takes place throughout June. “The last album I dropped was 2017… I’m excited about that, I’m writing it now. It’s just poems, but I’m excited.”
Peppermint, who was the first openly transgender contestant on the Emmy Award-winning show, was also the first transgender woman to originate a principal role on Broadway for her role as Pythio in Head Over Heels.
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“On paper, it shouldn’t make sense… it’s hard to explain what it is,” she says of the musical, which combined a loose adaptation of 16th-century piece The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia with the music of the new wave group, The Go-Go’s. It closed in late-2018.
“The better way to explain it now that it’s over and closed is ‘a revolutionary show about dismantling the patriarchy…'” she says about Head Over Heels. “I knew that they wanted to cast a trans actor… I wanted to put as much as I could into it, and try to do our non-binary siblings well and proud… [the show] became something I really believed in.”
Peppermint continues to share her love of performing all over the world and is also an activist, who aims to promote the importance of LGBTQIA representation and advancement. She has worked and supported organizations such as The Point Foundation, which aims to help LGBTQIA students attend college.
“People are just starting to catch on that having queer voices is essential and inevitable,” she says of further representation of LGBTQIA individuals in media and entertainment. She praises Pose creator Ryan Murphy for showcasing trans people of color both in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes.
“Giving [trans people] the power to speak for themselves, rather than slapping the community with stereotypes or archetypes… we’re past that,” she continues. “We’re not in the phase where they’re feeling comfortable to be who they are, but I think we’re getting close.”
Listen to the full episode below.
