Ask Me Anything: Anita Wigl’it talks positivity in the face of adversity with Paula Bennett

New Zealand drag queen Anita Wigl'it. Photo / Supplied

One of New Zealand’s top drag queens is focusing on staying positive despite growing backlash internationally towards the drag and LGBT+ communities - and dealing with trauma from their own past.

In just a few short years, Anita Wigl’it has gone from being a staple of the local drag scene to international stardom, after appearing on the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race - Down Under. Despite going home fourth, Wigl’it picked up the title of Miss Congeniality, and their popularity with fans saw them picked to represent New Zealand on Drag Race Canada vs the World, where they picked up that title once again - becoming the first queen on the global Drag Race franchise to receive that title twice.

Speaking to Paula Bennett on her NZ Herald podcast, Ask Me Anything, Wigl’it - real name Nick Kennedy-Hall - said being part of Drag Race was the “biggest honour” of their career.

“It was the most amazing experience for me to be recognized as like, you’ve done something well and now you are in this circle and you’re able to compete. Turns out I lost miserably, but that’s okay!”

Even having lost twice, Wigl’it said being on the show means they now have the global audience that allows them to tour the world, with a UK tour coming up in August.

However, despite the popularity of shows like Drag Race, the field of drag is coming under increasing attack. A growing conservative backlash that started in America, with some states trying to pass drag bans, is starting to be felt in New Zealand with events like Rainbow Storytime being targeted with abuse.

Wigl’it said that they have felt that antagonism, with online ads for events being met with comments accusing them of being groomers, and one recent incident in Hamilton saw a passing driver yell “F****t” at them while on their way to a gig.

They are choosing to ignore the haters though and find the positives in life, something that Wigl’it puts down to their parent’s divorce in the late 90s.

“I have an older brother and myself and he kind of dealt with things quite negatively and always saw the bad side of things, and I kind of went the other way and saw the good things and everything. And I think that that’s just stuck with me - rightly or wrongly, I’ve always kind of chosen the positive outlooks.

“And it doesn’t mean to say that I don’t see the negatives too, it’s just, I think in life we’ve almost got options. As much as we react to things, we have our reaction first of all.”

That positivity also comes despite going through some of the worst trauma imaginable. A decade ago, Wigl’it was sexually assaulted, something they viewed for a long as being their fault and never did anything about it. That was until they came across a newspaper article about two men who were taking their assaulter to court.

“I knew that they were victims, but then it kind of allowed me to acknowledge that I was a victim too for the first time in about eight years after it happened.

“I’ve been given this amazing opportunity to be able to talk about my story, and sharing it in hope that other people, like I have with those two guys, will identify through me and think, well, it’s not their fault, so it’s not my fault either.”

Listen to the full podcast to hear more from Anita Wigl’it and Paula on advice for being ambitious and achieving your goals

Ask Me Anything is a NZ Herald podcast, hosted by Paula Bennett. New episodes are out every Sunday.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.