Mimi Imfurst admits to sexually harassing young men
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Mimi Imfurst has admitted to sexually harassing men via Facebook Messenger.
Otherwise known as Braden Chapman, who starred on season 3 and All Stars 1, he has expressed his ‘deep regret’.
Two up-and-coming drag queens came forward to say they had been harassed by Chapman, and feared being blacklisted after speaking up.
Kyle Ayotte, 25, and Ethan Hunter Raysor, 24, gave separate accounts of incessant unwanted sexual chatting.
Young drag queens claim Mimi Imfurst sexually harassed them
They said they had both come forward because they knew others had been affected as well.
‘I think the LGBTQ community needs to have more conversations about sexual harassment in the drag performance scene and within our social hangout spots overall,’ Raysor told Philadelphia Magazine.
‘We’re not exempt from the pain these incidents cause and the stigma that comes from calling out the powerful people responsible for it.
‘What I experienced was an abuse of power through manipulation. Gay or straight, no one should have to go through that.’
Chapman, who produces multiple shows across Philadelphia, is a gatekeeper of young talent.
‘I was so shocked that he opened up to me so quickly, and I couldn’t comprehend what was happening or how to handle it,’ Ayotte said.
‘The most famous drag queen in the city was into me, and I felt obligated to go with the flow.’
When Ayotte told Chapman he felt uncomfortable with the sexual nature of the conversation, Chapman kept going.
Then the conversations became sexual, and even after Ayotte told Chapman he was uncomfortable, Chapman kept it going.
‘Braden was preying on my inexperience in the drag scene to satisfy his sexual fetish to the point that I felt personally obligated to go through with it because I had dreams of becoming a professional drag performer.’
In a statement, Chapman admitted to sexually harassing and issued an apology.
Mimi Imfurst issues apology
He said: ‘It has come to my attention that my sexual conversations via online messaging were uncomfortable for multiple people that I was engaging with. [With t]wo of those people, I have had ongoing late-night sexual conversations that involved in-depth and often exaggerated cyber roleplay that although was welcomed by some has made others uncomfortable and used.
‘For that I am incredibly sorry. I thought that our conversation, which included sexual and nonsexual discussions, was consensual. I realize now that my intent to engage in a playful and welcomed conversation that I initiated did not have the impact on the them that I thought it did.
‘I deeply regret that due to my nature as a public person, they felt pressured or obligated to partake in these conversations, one of which lasted over two years back and forth. I wish I had known more clearly that they did not want to participate in the conversations.
He added: ‘If I would have known that, I would have stopped. I respect both Kyle and Ethan greatly and would never want to make them feel violated. I apologized to Ethan in October privately when this was first brought to my attention, and I now extend my apologies to others that I have hurt as well. I am not perfect. I have made great mistakes that I am truly sorry for and humbled by.
‘I am incredibly sorry for this and can only work to be a better person and leader in Philadelphia. If anyone has issues I hope that they will speak to me privately so I can apologize to them directly.’
