Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
RuPaul's Drag Race star and queer activist Shangela has been accused of numerous sexual assaults and coercion in a new report from The Rolling Stone. Reporters detailed accusations of "sexually coercive and assaultive behavior" from at least five queer people spanning several years and across multiple states.
The report alleges Shangela, whose real name is Darius Jeremy "DJ" Pierce, sexually assaulted them or tried having sex while they were "too inebriated" to consent, based on interviews, court documents, research, and a previously unknown police complaint filed in Los Angeles.
In one alleged incident, the drag star tried taking advantage of the fifth accuser in a bathroom closet after rejecting Pierce's advances. Another accuser claims they were so drunk they vomited in a hotel bed and then sexually assaulted in the same sheets.
The investigative report claims the interactions span from 2012 to 2018 in Louisiana, Texas, California, and the United Kingdom. All of the accusers said they were aware of Shangela's rising popularity at the time of the alleged assaults.
Pierce has denied the allegations through his lawyer, Andrew Brettler, calling them “false and unsupported by any evidence or reliable witness testimony" in a legal letter sent to the outlet. While the Drag Race star has admitted to meeting four of the five accusers on specified dates, Brettler said his client “adamantly denies ever engaging in nonconsensual sex.”
The slew of allegations comes days after Pierce settled a lawsuit where he was accused of raping an HBO production assistant after buying several drinks for them.
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