The Melbourne drag queen who stars in Libra’s controversial tampon ad – which has now been yanked off TV screens – says she never intended to portray a transwoman and will not apologise for the resulting storm.

Shown below, the commercial’s portrayal of a tall partygirl’s bathroom battle with a ‘real woman’ who uses tampons prompted stern criticism from many transgender people who were disgusted at being seen as figures of fun.

“The blatant transphobia is disgusting,” read one of many online comments blasting the promotion. “This ad is ridiculous and offensive.” An online petition ensued, attracting almost 2,000 signatories this week.

The company itself quickly responded. “Libra regrets any offence taken to our recent tampon advertisement,” it said. “It was never intended to upset or offend anyone. Independent research was undertaken and the advertisement was viewed positively during that testing.

“Libra takes all feedback very seriously, and in response to this, we will immediately review our future position with this campaign based on the feedback received. There are no further advertisements scheduled in New Zealand. The advertisement has not aired in Australia.”

Now Melbourne drag queen Sandee Crack has spoken up, saying she was proud of the Libra ad and is disappointed by the resulting controversy. She tells her side of the story, hitting back at her critics, below…

My name is Sandee Crack. I am the drag queen that you have all seen in the Libra commercial that has been shot down by some of the transgender community.

I would firstly like to state that I am in fact a gay man that dresses in drag as a performer. I have been doing so for many years and will continue to do so. I have never considered myself to be transgendered and never will do.

When I was presented with the Libra commercial and saw it as a great opportunity to participate in a positive step towards acceptance for drag queens and gay men among the wider community.

Libra were both sensitive, professional and accepting of my needs as a drag queen and as a gay man throughout the production process. I never felt for one moment that I would be depicted as a trans woman, nor do I believe that I have been.

We consciously kept my arm hair, chose strapless dresses to accentuate my broad shoulders and if you look carefully you will notice my stubble is slightly visible. They also ensured I looked much taller than the girl next to me.

I was shown the ad prior to release and I was thrilled with it. I have received enormous support from both transgendered, gay and straight individuals from all over the world since the ad was released in New Zealand. I believe strongly that by putting a drag queen into the mainstream media, we are one step closer to acceptance and this is something I am very proud to be part of.

Unfortunately, a small portion of the trans community have chosen to view the ad as a personal attack on their fight to be viewed as equal women within society. This is a fight I also feel strongly about and I hope to help educate the wider community on.

However, I feel hurt that representing myself as a drag queen on television and playing out a common place scenario in my life has lead to a clear “Dragphobia” among some transgendered individuals who wish to pull the plug on something that reflects true honesty about the life of a drag queen. A drag queen is a man in women’s clothing and if that offends a trans woman I am afraid I cannot apologise, as by doing so I am apologising for being me.

I hope that the campaign goes to air in Australia, it would be an enormous step forward for Australia and for the world.

Thank you

Sandee Crack