Hot Pink Shade
Hot Pink Shade's Story
What's your preferred name?
Christian Raddler/Hot Pink Shade
What are your pronouns?
They/Them
Share with us how you identify and how you came to that understanding of yourself.
I identify as a nonbinary, gay person. I’ve always been Feminine growing up, and never felt like I vibed and identified with the male title…but at the same time, I also have never inherently felt like a woman. I think it was in 2018, right before I started doing drag full time, I came out as nonbinary.
Tell us about how your self-expression has helped you grow.
As weird as it may sound, it’s actually the opposite. As I grew up and grew into myself as a person, my self expression would follow. It was kind of a trial and error situation with my growth.
Where did you grow up? What was a formative experience you had in childhood that led you to where you are today?
I grew up in Des Moines, WA. Literally, where I live now is the home I grew up in. 🤣🤣 I can’t actually pick a SINGLE experience from my childhood that led me to where I’m at because I feel like I, as a human, have always been on a charted course to where I’m at and what I do and how I identify. When I was younger, I was ALWAYS more interested in princesses, fashion, Barbies, etc. I’ve never been a very masculine person.
What is a life goal that you are working on or have achieved? How has working toward this goal helped you understand yourself as an individual?
A life goal is to be able to travel the world doing drag and performing, which I’ve achieved in a very small capacity by being able to travel to Bellingham, WA, and Portland, OR for drag. It’s helped me understand better my limits and tolerances, and it has shown me how much drag means to me.
Who is someone who inspired you to be your true self? What was their influence on you?
My Grandmother and my mother have both influenced me to be my true self. They both have always encouraged honesty, integrity, and being true to yourself, even if it means standing alone. I think I was very privileged to have some adults in my life who were part of the LGBTQIA+ community and were accepted by my family, and that my mom coincidentally has the strongest bonds with a few members of my family who are gay or lesbian. My sexuality has NEVER been of much importance to my mom, just as long as I’m a good person.
What's something that you worry about?
I worry about my safety when I’m out in public, considering I’ve been assaulted a few times before, so naturally it’s always in the back of my mind. I also worry about the impact I have on the children in my life, as I just want to be someone they can look up to.
What gives you hope?
The fact that the younger generation has less tolerance for bigotry in all its forms (in my experiences, anyway), gives me hope for the future of LGBTQIA+ people like myself.
If you had a message for your younger self, what would you say?
“Don’t skip classes, GRADUATE, learn to sew!!!! Also, give mom a break…she’s struggling too, you’re not the only one. Behave better.”
What's a piece of wisdom you've learned that has helped you?
“Being yourself is the only person you CAN be..” I was part of a mentorship program in middle school, and this was what MY mentor told me, and it’s stuck with me
What is something you wish other people would know or understand?
I’m a human who struggles despite the love and support I get from my friends and family. I still fight every day to keep going and keep pushing. I wish people would understand that.