Mercedes Iman Diamond

Mercedes Iman Diamond
Born (1987-12-12) December 12, 1987 (age 37)
Mombasa, Kenya
Other namesCurran
OccupationDrag queen
TelevisionRuPaul's Drag Race (season 11)

Mercedes Iman Diamond is the stage name of Curran,[1] a Kenyan-American drag performer who competed on season 11 of the American television series RuPaul's Drag Race. Curran was born and raised in Mombasa, Kenya, and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he created the drag persona Mercedes Iman Diamond and competed in pageants. Mercedes Iman Diamond was the first Muslim contestant on Drag Race; Internet memes of her appearance on the show went viral, and her lines in a parody film challenge inspired a dance remix by Adam Joseph.

Early life

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Curran was born on December 12, 1987,[2][3] in Mombasa, Kenya.[4] He moved to the United States at the age of eleven and created his drag persona Mercedes Iman Diamond at the Minneapolis club Gay 90s a decade later.[5]

Career

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Mercedes Iman Diamond has a background in pageantry; she won the Miss Gay 90s pageant in 2016.[6] She was also named Miss City of the Lakes, and was the second alternate in the pageant Miss Minnesota Continental.[7]

Mercedes Iman Diamond was the first Muslim contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race; she competed in season 11 (2019).[8] On the first episide "Whatcha Unpackin?", she performed poorly in the photo shoot mini-challenge and wore an outfit for the runway that was inspired by former Drag Race contestant Bianca Del Rio.[9] The acting challenge on the second episode "Good God Girl, Get Out" required her to dance and recite dialogue in a parody of Get Out (2017) that was inspired by the film Paris Is Burning (1990).[10] Internet memes of her struggling to pronounce "opulence" went viral,[11][12] and her vocals received a dance remix from American singer-songwriter Adam Joseph.[13] During a lip-sync battle to "Work Bitch" (2013) by Britney Spears, she subsequently eliminated her partner in the challenge Kahanna Montrese from the competition.[14][15]

Despite her initial reluctance to discuss her identity,[16] on the third episode ("Diva Worship"), Mercedes Iman Diamond described her experience of being racially profiled and placed on the No Fly List for years because she was from Kenya.[17][18][19] She also said she had suffered from a stroke during a pageant as a result of demanding travel requirements.[15][20] On the fourth episode "Trump: The Rusical", she portrayed Ivanka Trump in the Grease-inspired Rusical (musical theatre challenge) about Donald Trump and the women in his life.[21][22] Her performance placed her in the bottom two and she was eliminated from the competition after losing a lip-sync against Ra'Jah O'Hara to James Brown's "Living in America" (1985).[23][24]

She continues to perform in drag shows and has large followings on social media.[25] She and Drag Race contestant Jaidynn Diore Fierce performed at the first drag brunch in Ely, Minnesota, in 2022.[26]

Personal life

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Curran lives in Minneapolis.[4] He is gay.[27]

Mercedes Iman Diamond is the "drag daughter" (mentee) of Prada Diamond.[28]

Filmography

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Television

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Web series

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kiunguyu, Kylie (February 27, 2019). "First Muslim drag queen on "RuPaul's Drag Race" hails from Kenya". This Is Africa. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  2. ^ Diamond, Mercedes Iman [@Mercedesiman] (December 12, 2022). "It's my birthday 🎉🎊🎂 Just want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone that wished me a happy birthday I love you guys" (Tweet). Retrieved March 14, 2024 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Stroude, Will (January 25, 2019). "Meet the queens of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' season 11". Attitude. ISSN 1353-1875. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Johnson, Shakeena (April 14, 2019). "Mercedes Iman Diamond Talks Drag Race, Opulence & Representation". AZ Magazine. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 11 Cast: Meet the 15 Queens Vying for the Crown". Yahoo Entertainment. January 24, 2019. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  6. ^ Holdgrafer, George (November 23, 2016). "Barometer: Mercedes Iman-Diamond Captures Miss Gay 90's 2016 Title". Lavender. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  7. ^ Damshenas, Sam (December 26, 2018). "Is this the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race season 11?". Gay Times. ISSN 0950-6101. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  8. ^ Street, Mikelle (March 21, 2019). "This 'Drag Race' Season 11 Queen Just Got Real About Islamophobia". Out. ISSN 1062-7928. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  9. ^ Daw, Stephen (March 6, 2019). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 11 Power Ranking: Episode 1". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  10. ^ Street, Mikelle (March 11, 2019). "Kahanna Montrese Would Totally Join the 'Drag Race' Pit Crew". Out. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  11. ^ Cook, Michael (March 26, 2019). "Mercedes Iman Diamond eliminated on 'RuPaul's Drag Race'". Out In Jersey. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  12. ^ "Opulence" memes:
  13. ^ "Drag Race star Mercedes' 'Oppalance' has been given a dance remix". Gay Times. March 15, 2019. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  14. ^ Guerra, Joey (March 8, 2019). "Kahanna Montrese feels like she won 'Drag Race' despite early exit". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Communications. ISSN 1074-7109. OCLC 30348909. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Damshenas, Sam (March 8, 2019). "Drag Race's Mercedes reveals she had a stroke after being racially profiled". Gay Times. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  16. ^ Kile, Meredith B. (March 22, 2019). "'RuPaul's Drag Race': Mercedes Iman Diamond on Her Legacy as the Show's First Muslim Queen (Exclusive)". Yahoo Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  17. ^ Damshenas, Sam (March 8, 2019). "Drag Race's Mercedes reveals she had a stroke after being racially profiled". Gay Times. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  18. ^ Sultana, Rashad (March 29, 2019). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' season 11: Mercedes Iman Diamond on queer Muslim representation & being wrongly put on the 'no fly list'". Queerty. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  19. ^ Henderson, Taylor (March 7, 2019). "'Drag Race's' First Muslim Queen Says Religion Put Her on No-Fly List". Pride.com. Here Media. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  20. ^ Damshenas, Sam (March 29, 2019). "Drag Race star Mercedes on 'Oppalance' and advocating for the Muslim drag community". Gay Times. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  21. ^ Nolfi, Joey (March 22, 2019). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' eliminee on fainting goats and bonding with Brooke Candy". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  22. ^ Guerra, Joey (March 21, 2019). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 11: Trump the Rusical". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  23. ^ Daw, Stephen (March 22, 2019). "Mercedes Iman Diamond Talks 'Opulence' Memes, Politics & More After 'Drag Race' Exit". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  24. ^ Holland, Scott (March 25, 2019). "Mercedes Iman Diamond Talks 'Drag Race' Season 11". Hotspots! Magazine. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  25. ^ Whittingham, Emily (October 24, 2021). "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 11 Queens: Where Are They Now?". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  26. ^ Johnson, Kenny (August 7, 2022). "Ely's first ever drag brunch brings representation to The Iron Range". WDIO-DT. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  27. ^ Blanton, Kayla (March 25, 2019). "'Drag Race' Queen Mercedes Iman Diamond Wants Her Fans To Know It's OK To Be Muslim & Gay". Bustle. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  28. ^ Most, Becca (June 26, 2019). "Fashion, fabulousness and self-love". Minnesota Daily. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  29. ^ Whatcha Packin': Mercedes Iman Diamond | S11 E4 | RuPaul's Drag Race (Video). RuPaul's Drag Race. March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2024 – via YouTube.
  30. ^ Mercedes Iman Diamond on Look at Huh - Part 1 (Video). Hey Qween!. February 12, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2024 – via YouTube.
  31. ^ Mercedes Iman Diamond on Look at Huh - Part 2 (Video). Hey Qween!. October 25, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2024 – via YouTube.
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