Crystal: 'The homophobia The Vivienne faced days before her death breaks my heart'

After the shocking news of The Vivienne's death this weekend, Drag Race UK star Crystal has written a tribute to them as well as highlighted the awful homophobia they faced in the days before.

'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.

'This was a performer at the top of her game, with work covering theatre, TV, comedy and music, but after they featured on a special Boxing Day episode of Blankety Blank, the usual suspects on social media complained that a drag queen was on their screens. This is despite the show being hosted by Lily Savage for years!

'The level of vitriol Viv received has compounded the tragedy of her passing... 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.'

You can read Crystal's article in full here: https://metro.co.uk/2025/01/07/homophobia-vivienne-faced-days-death-breaks-heart-22308913/