The Vivienne was ‘bombarded’ with sick homophobic abuse in their final days
Drag icon The Vivienne was ‘bombarded’ with sick homophobic abuse in the days before their tragic death at the age of just 32, with grieving friends expressing how the vile comments have compounded their heartache
A friend of The Vivienne, has shed light on the vile abuse the drag queen suffered in the days leading up to their death.
The Vivienne, real name James Lee Williams, was reportedly found dead by their devastated father and stepmother on Sunday, January 5, with police called to an address in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, at 12.22 pm that day.
It’s believed the Drag Race star, who was just 32 years old at the time of their death, had passed away a day or two before their body was found. Although a cause of death has not yet been given, police have confirmed they found “no suspicious circumstances”.
In the weeks prior to the tragedy, The Vivienne had continued to shine in their glittering career. As well as playing The Childcatcher in a national tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, they also starred in a Boxing Day episode of Blankety Blank – following in the footsteps of drag icon Lily Savage.
Sadly, after the pre-recorded episode aired, The Vivienne became the target of sick homophobic abuse. Now Britain’s Got Talent drag queen Myra DuBois, real name is Gareth Joyner, has hit back at those who “bombarded” The Vivienne in their final weeks, urging people to “challenge transphobia when they encounter it”.
Taking to Instagram, BGT semi-finalist Myra wrote: “I don’t know how The Vivienne left us, and I will be respecting the family request for privacy by not trying to find out, or by fuelling rumours. I do know that after appearing on Blankety Blank over Christmas they were bombarded with a slew of homophobic abuse.
“I also know that the comments sections on posts announcing their passing are filling up with comments like ‘one less’ and ‘rest in hell’. I need you to know this. I want you to acknowledge this. To me, to your colleagues, to your family. I want you to acknowledge it when there are no LGBTQ+ people in the room with you.
“You can’t just post how sad you are when LGBTQ+ people die. I want you to ask if you’re doing everything you can to keep all LGBTQ+ people alive.”
Myra DuBois, real name is Gareth Joyner, has hit back at those who ‘bombarded’ The Vivienne in their final weeks
They continued: “Do you make an effort to use pronouns that might not immediately make sense to you? Do you post comments of love so they drown out comments of hate? Do you oppose political parties who openly discriminate LBGTQ+ people even if they align with your beliefs elsewhere?
“I don’t care how you answer, it’s between you and yourself. But in the last few years, I have buried so many friends, all of them LGBTQ+, all of them taken too soon. And it is NOT because of the ‘lifestyle choice’. It’s the burden of shame. Society murders queers, and I am so, so angry.”
This comes after The Vivienne’s RuPaul Drag Race co-star Crystal penned an opinion piece for The Metro about the homophobic abuse their “effortlessly funny, whip-smart” friend was subjected to before their death. Crystal wrote: “It has shocked me. Losing a friend so young is a real gut punch – it doesn’t feel real. But the shock and sadness is heightened because I know her final days were spent on the receiving end of abuse and homophobia.”
They added: “The pile-on Viv received points to a dangerous trend in recent years of the mask slipping, and the public feeling more emboldened to shame queer people simply for being themselves.”
