Alyssa Edwards Responds to Ken Paxton’s Anti-Drag Attack Ad: “Texas Is Big Enough for All of Us”

RuPaul’s Drag Race star Alyssa Edwards has penned an open letter to Texas attorney general and Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton following the politician’s posting of a misleading video about the drag queen on his social media channels. Edwards shared the letter on social media on Wednesday evening. “I’m not sure I fully understand your motive or intention in attempting to disparage my name, my character, or my reputation,” Edwards wrote at the top of the letter. “But I do know this: the way we choose to speak about others often says far more about our own character than it ever will about theirs.” The letter comes just one day after Paxton, who is currently narrowly trailing Democrat James Talarico in the Senate race, shared a video about Edwards on his social media channels on Tuesday, relying on hateful rhetoric to depict her as a threat to children. The video, a montage of clips from Edwards’ media appearances, — including her YouTube series, documentaries, and time on reality TV — used several clips that included her work as an educator and mentor for young children at Beyond Belief Dance Company. Alongside the video, Paxton issued a “VIEWER WARNING,” while saying, “Meet Alyssa Edwards: James Talarico’s favorite sick and twisted drag queen.” At one point in the video, while Edwards is shown performing, a red arrow appears on screen to point to spectators, who are labeled “YOUNG CHILDREN.” Edwards first entered the discourse around the heated Texas Senate race when James Talarico named her as his favorite Texan drag queen at a campaign appearance, prompting right-wing politicians, including Paxton, to criticize him for even having an answer at the ready.Edwards, whose real name is Justin Johnson, continued in her letter, “As a Texan and a very proud one at that, I would hope that your focus would remain on policy, leadership and what you intend to provide for the future of ALL Texans.” She went on to “properly introdu