Ben Hopkins Quotes

I'm a woman now.

I knew I could never be an actor as a man. It just doesn't work, you know? And so when I was doing drag, I realized I could do that kind of stuff, and then when I was transitioning, I kind of gave up on the whole thing because I didn't think that this time would ever come, you know?

Someone said to me a long time ago, 'You're a drag queen,' and at the time I was a little like... hello? But then I realized over the years that I actually am.

I want to tell everyone that no matter what's keeping them from being their authentic self to hold on to the hope that there will be an end to that road. There will be a life where they can live their true self.

I want to show the world that if you want to be a bearded lady you are allowed to do it without being discriminated against.

Something 'Drag Race' is really good at is portraying us as artists but also human beings. And normal human beings don't know everything. They don't have all the answers.

I don't get everything right the first time.

I'm a normal person, and I'm going to make mistakes. I think people have to accept that.

When I was going through transition, I didn't push it on everyone.

I threw away all my boys' clothes and started wearing makeup.

Saying to someone 'I'm a transsexual' is the most empowering thing I've ever felt in my whole life.

I could have hidden in Boston and lived at home for three years, gone through my transition, taken voice lessons to make my voice more feminine, gotten gender reassignment surgery, and spent time to complete my transition, but I didn't want to wait. I wanted to be in the world.

I feel like the most fascinating parts of a trans life take place after the decision to transition. They take place when you're in this new body, in this new life, and you start realizing things.

Doing 'Hedwig' totally contributed to my acceptance of myself.

Before my transition I felt trapped, and now I've been set free.

I want to continue to use my platform to tell my story to let young people that are struggling with their sexuality or identity know they are not alone, and it will get better.

I had a number of different labels. A lot of people assumed I was gay because I was wearing a man's suit, and one had to learn that it's OK, people will do that, and you don't always have to explain it one hundred percent, because they're never going to accept what your own interpretation is. It's all illusory.

What makes a girl a girl? What makes a guy a guy? Do you have to be what they want you to be? Or do you stop and listen to that voice inside you? I know who I am. I'm Petra West. And I'm a girl. You want me to sleep somewhere else, fine. Whatever. But I'm not going to pretend to be somebody I'm not. I've done enough of that.

Honestly, I never needed a mask to go onstage. It was me who was there, and it was always what I felt, based on what I had learned at home, in my religion, and from society. I clung to that: 'This is me, it has to be me.' And if I had an encounter with someone of the same sex, I looked away.

I had a lot of conversations with my family, my close friends, with my pastor, with God, and kind of came to a revelation that maybe I should be honest with myself about who I am and let that person - this woman who has lived inside me for my entire life - finally have an opportunity to live.

To be at acting school, it was kind of the first time you felt the freedom to be as much of yourself as you wanted. People weren't going to judge you.

Over and over again, I'm trying to express or communicate these big and small struggles to the world, and really to myself.

I know people want me to sort of defend myself, to sit here and be like, 'I'm a boy, but I wear make-up sometimes.' But, you know, to me, it doesn't really matter.

Even though I was manically overachieving and involved in everything, I still never felt like I belonged. That's definitely affected my whole life and why I wanted to become an actor and tell people stories, because communication and feeling like you belong is such an integral part of our social fabric.

As time goes by people will see who I am for who I am.