Few artists have transformed visibility into genuine cultural impact quite like Peppermint. A performer, actress, singer, Broadway star, television personality, and advocate, Peppermint has spent years breaking barriers while remaining fiercely authentic to herself and her community. From becoming the first openly trans contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race to captivating audiences on Broadway in Head Over Heels, she has helped redefine what representation in entertainment can look like for an entire generation.
Today, as a 2026 Grand Marshal for NYC Pride, Peppermint stands not only as a celebrated entertainer but also as a powerful voice for queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming communities around the world. Whether appearing in acclaimed projects like Fire Island and Survival of the Thickest or working alongside the American Civil Liberties Union as an Artist Ambassador for Trans Justice, she continues to use her platform to inspire visibility, compassion, and meaningful change.
Photographed at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre, home of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Moulin Rouge! The Musical (now through August 30)
HELLO, PEPPERMINT. WHAT DOES BEING NAMED A 2026 NYC PRIDE GRAND MARSHAL MEAN TO YOU PERSONALLY?
It means I will get another opportunity to participate in the march and celebrate the legacy of Marsha P. Johnson, all while highlighting the importance of advocating on behalf of queer, trans and gender nonconforming people.
HOW DO YOU REFLECT ON YOUR JOURNEY FROM DRAG RACE TO THIS MOMENT?
It’s been a wild ride. I’m so grateful I had the chance to do Drag Race. I feel like I was practicing for this very moment all along. Even before TV, I was performing and involved in advocacy and charity, so now, with a bigger stage, I feel that much more up for the task.
WHAT IMPACT DID BEING THE FIRST OUT TRANS CONTESTANT ON RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE HAVE ON YOUR CAREER?
I think being the first out trans contestant on Drag Race positioned me to talk about it in every Drag Race interview that I did. Which led to opportunities to continue talking about it through Broadway, through film, through television, and even in this moment. I’m still being asked about Drag Race today.
HOW DID ORIGINATING A PRINCIPAL ROLE IN HEAD OVER HEELS CHANGE THE INDUSTRY FOR YOU?
Prior to auditioning for Head Over Heels, it seemed as though there wasn’t much concern to really understand trans characters or the experiences of trans people or to consider how that could inform professional theater. After doing Head Over Heels on Broadway, I received so many letters from school productions, and even from some of the actors, about the importance of finding a non-binary or gender-nonconforming performer to play the role of Pythio. The decision to cast the role as trans was obviously not mine and had been played so beautifully before by Shakina Nayfack, but I am grateful!
WHAT DOES AUTHENTIC TRANS REPRESENTATION IN ENTERTAINMENT LOOK LIKE TODAY?
Trans representation looks as varied as any other group. People of all shapes and sizes and colors and experiences should be represented in as many stories as possible, which I think is just a reflection of human beings and everyday life.
HOW HAVE YOUR ROLES IN FIRE ISLAND AND SURVIVAL OF THE THICKEST SHAPED YOUR VOICE AS AN ARTIST?
I feel so blessed to have fulfilled some of my dreams and to have acted on television. In Harlem, I got to play a trans woman who spoke in depth about her decision to start or not start a family of her own and how that could impact their family. Having that conversation with her cousin, who’s also Black and queer, made it even more special. It was not lost on me that literally the same year abortion access was overturned. We were two Black women, both of queer experience, talking about family planning, but in our own queer Black way.
WHAT RESPONSIBILITIES COME WITH BEING A VISIBLE TRANS FIGURE IN MAINSTREAM MEDIA?
I’m hopeful that we get to a point where trans people don’t necessarily feel an added pressure, but currently, politics are so intense that it places a lot of scrutiny on trans people. I personally go back and forth between the pressures of not wanting to disappoint the community, just being myself, making my own decisions regardless of what people think and trying to avoid being so messy that it earns a bad reputation for the rest of the community. I think I usually end up somewhere in the middle.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR WORK AS ACLU ARTIST AMBASSADOR FOR TRANS JUSTICE?
The ACLU does fantastic work as attorneys advocating for civil rights. They are a really important part of the front line of civil rights protections in the United States. Working closely with the staff attorneys at the ACLU has given me so much insight and informed everything I do. It allows me to speak with a little bit of experience and sometimes have the privilege of visiting the Supreme Court and listening to the non-television hearings live and in color.
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY AT PRIDE THIS YEAR?
I want to encourage trans folks to be out and proud, to not let society weight us down so much because hope and joy are essential to whatever is going to get us through the next chapter, but I also want the queer community to understand that finding solidarity with people who are different than us doesn’t necessarily mean betraying our own ideals just to gain favor with people who want to harm us. I think it means seeking out people who have the same basic needs as us: food, shelter, housing, healthcare, etc. and starting from that place, to make sure we all have equal and fair access to those things without being discriminated against.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU AS BOTH AN ARTIST AND AN ACTIVIST?
I don’t really think of myself as an activist, but I certainly hope to make a few more TV appearances and I’m really excited about a return to Broadway. And maybe even another reality show or two.
