North American universalism in RuPaul’s Drag Race: Stereotypes, linguicism, and the construction of ‘Puerto Rican queens’.

RuPaul’s Drag Race continues to feature a diverse range of contestants. A key example of such diversity is “Puerto Rican queens”. Notable with regard to the queens who fall under this category, however, is a consistent emphasis upon their English language capabilities, and more broadly, a focus on their knowledge of North American popular culture. In both areas, queens from Puerto Rico are depicted as lacking, with jokes often made at their expense. Through an analysis of three key examples as they appeared in season three of the show, this chapter argues that both linguistic imperialism and stereotypes based on assumptions about Puerto Rican culture perpetuate the exclusion of those who come from the Global South.