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Carmen Carrera is the stage name of Carmen Roman, an American reality television personality, model, burlesque performer, and transgender rights advocate.

Carmen competed on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 3, where she was eliminated in Episode 10. She returned in Episode 12 and was eliminated in that same episode, placing 5th in the competition overall.

Although she presented as male during the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race, on May 1, 2012, ABC News reported that Carrera is a transgender woman.

RuPaul's Drag Race

Carrera appeared in the third season of the reality television competition show, RuPaul's Drag Race. Carrera is the second contestant in the history of the show (after season three cast-mate, Shangela) to rejoin the cast after being eliminated, and along with Raja, Manila Luzon, and Delta Work, was part of the clique known as "Heathers", which took its name from the 1988 film, Heathers. In episode 10, "RuPaul-a-Palooza", Carrera was eliminated for her performance while singing a reggae-inspired cover of RuPaul's song "Superstar." Judges Michelle Visage, Santino Rice, and Billy Brasfield voted to re-invite Carrera to the competition in episode 12, "Jocks in Frocks." Subsequently, Carrera was eliminated in that episode.

Carmen Carrera
Season Competed Season 3
Ranking: 5th
Mini-Challenges Won 1
Times as Team Captain 1
Main Challenges Won 0
Times In Bottom 2 3 (ep. 9,10 and 12)
Episode Eliminated Ep.10 and 12

Name Origin

Carmen is her birth mother’s name. Carrera is her drag family name with Angela Carrera as her drag mother.

Work

The November 2011 issue of W featured a series of fictional products in realistically styled advertisements as part of an issue-wide art project. Carrera was featured in the series as the face for the fictional fragrance La Femme. In 2011, Carrera, along with third season Drag Race contestants Manila Luzon and Shangela Laquifa Wadley, appeared in a television commercial for the travel-related website Orbitz. Carrera has also been active in AIDS awareness and activism. After being featured in a Gilead Sciences ad entitled "Red Ribbon Runway" with fellow Drag Race co-stars Manila Luzon, Delta Work, Shangela Laquifa Wadley, and Alexis Mateo, the dress she wore was auctioned by Logo in commemoration of World AIDS Day. Proceeds from the auction were donated to the National Association of People with AIDS. Carrera appeared as a "drag professor" in two episodes of the second season of RuPaul's Drag U. In the episode "80s Ladies," she gave singer Stacey Q a confidence-boosting makeover.

In an episode of the ABC news program Primetime: What Would You Do? that aired on May 4, 2012, Carrera portrayed the role of a transgender server working in a New Jersey diner. An actor playing a customer berates Carrera's character regarding his past experience of being served by her when she had presented as male, prompting other customers to come to Carrera's defense. This program also marked the first occasion in which Carrera publicly revealed herself to be transgender.

A petition started requesting that Carrera serve as a model during the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, but despite media coverage and approximately 45,000 signatures, the petition was unsuccessful.

In March 2014 Carmen did an interview with the transadvocate voicing her disapproval of the use of terms like "tranny" and "she-male" on RuPaul's Drag Race. Following Carrera's statments against the show, the 'she-mail' line was changed by World of Wonder and one scene from season 6 was cut completely. This resulted in a backlash from fans on social media, many of whom found it hypocritical because Carrera never expressed any objection while she was on the show and can also be seen joyfully dancing and singing along to the song "Tranny Chaser" in a season 3 episode.

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