Drag Race's Jewels Sparkles: Real men support their queer kids

The importance of Jewels's father and Onya's father being in the audience as they lip synced for the crown is something that's stood out to Jewels even more after the finale aired.

She says, "I think it's important to show that on TV so that other Latino dads, and Black dads, can be like, 'Oh, I can do that too for my kid. If these people can do it for their kid, I can show up for my kid, too.'"

"It doesn't make you less of a man to support your child. It makes you more of a man," Jewels argues. "If you're comfortable with your child being queer and being a drag queen… If that doesn't threaten your masculinity, and you can still say, 'I'm a straight man and my son's a drag queen. Yeah, I'll go on TV to support my son. Yeah, I'll get in drag for the makeover challenge,' that makes you more manly."

"Why don't people understand that?" she muses. "Men who are afraid to be in touch with their femininity… It's like you're hiding something. That looks like you're afraid of something. My dad has nothing to hide. He's a proud straight man who loves his son and would do anything for his children. That is the most masculine thing a man can do," Jewels declares. "No shade."

Some of the discourse that followed the season 17 finale had to do with pitting the two finalists against each other, which Jewels really wasn't expecting to see. Making it to the lip sync for the crown with Onya is "is something that I am celebrating," Jewels says. "I'm so happy about my run on Drag Race. I'm so proud of making it to top 2."

She notes, "It was really heartbreaking to open Twitter and not see a celebration for Onya. It was just fans putting us against each other. My fans were saying that Onya didn't deserve it, and Onya's fans were beating me down for not winning. It was all people putting us against each other, even though me and Onya are not against each other. That is my sister — and I couldn't be more proud of her."

As the discourse raged on, Jewels decided that reading those comments didn't align with her desire to celebrate the journey they had just been on — a clear-minded realization that she wasn't obligated to go through the discourse.

"I'm just not going to read this," she recalls. "I'm going to get off Twitter because I have no interest in seeing this right now. I want to celebrate my moment with my friends. I want to celebrate this moment with my family. And, with Onya, I don't want to waste my time reading this negative shit when this is such a beautiful, glorious moment for my friend."

Jewels also declared at the finale that she's a "product of immigration" — a clear reaction to the terror that Latine immigrants have been facing in recent months. When asked why she chose to say that as one of her final messages on Drag Race, Jewels discussed how this issue lingered throughout the entire airing of season 17.

"This journey has been very bittersweet. I'm living my dreams, on Drag Race as a product of immigration, as proof that people come to this country and create lives that they want for themselves… But while my friends are excited for me, they're also horrified. They're scared of coming home and seeing that their mom isn't there anymore. Or when someone has to pick up their little brother from school and might not make it back home. This is horrifying."

Jewels adds, "It's been bittersweet to be like, 'Hey, look, I'm on Drag Race! Oh my god, look at me go!' as my friends and family are living in constant fear and turmoil. But I want people to know that we can't live in fear. We can't hide. We deserve our place here. We are good people. This country, and government, is trying to villainize us. They make us seem like criminals, like people who are stealing and taking jobs from other people. Just know that there are people who will protect you, and who will speak up for you. We'll get through this as a community, together. We really will."

"Latinos are known to be fighters. We are known for being resilient," Jewels continues. "We come to this country, and we do not take it for granted. We know that there's work to be done. The stereotype of Latinos coming here and being hard workers is because we don't take that for granted. We know that our spot here, and our place here, can be taken from us."

She concludes, "We'll always be fighters, and we will get through this as a community. So stay strong, keep your head up, and don't give up on your dreams. Don't give up on what's possible. You will stay here. We will make it through. We will be fine. But don't stop fighting for what you deserve."

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10 premieres Friday, May 9 on Paramount+.

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