Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear heels and fabulous wigs.
Drag Race Down Under queen Vybe is no stranger to slaying, both on and off the stage. Back in 2017, Vybe and her drag sisters Coco Jumbo and Ivy Leaguee made global headlines when they heroically rescued a gay man from a violent homophobic attack in Sydney’s gay district.
In her Meet the Queens video, Vybe reflected on the intense moment, giving a shoutout to Coco Jumbo, who herself was “the victim of a robbery” during season 1 of Drag Race Down Under. But years before that, the trio of queens saved a man named Ivan Flinn after he was brutally attacked by a group of homophobic thugs.
The men had been hurling slurs at Ivan, who stood up for himself, telling them to stop. It didn’t go down well. One man punched Ivan, dislocated his jaw, and ripped his shirt, leaving Ivan fearing for his life. Then, in the ultimate act of fabulousness, three queens in full drag stepped in to save the day.
“There was a group of big old straight idiots who decided to cut the line at the kebab shop and then abused and threatened one of our community members,” Vybe recalled. “So, us being the big burly men that we are, we stepped in to save him. And don’t worry, the kebabs and chips were fine—I made damn sure of that.”
Picture: Vybe, Coco Jumbo & Ivy Leaguee. Fierce but we love you!
Ivy Leaguee wasn’t having any of the nonsense. “I said, ‘You want to pick on little guys? You’ll need to fight the big freak,’” she said. “Those boys s**t themselves—they weren’t ready for drag queens on top of them.”
The queens didn’t walk away unscathed, and police eventually intervened. Ivan later crowdfunded to help replace the queens’ damaged drag outfits. Coco summed it up: “Don’t mess with gay people. Let alone two men dressed as women. Silly boys.”
Now, Vybe is taking that same fierce energy to the runway as she competes in Drag Race Down Under season 4, streaming November 1.