Gawdland wins world title, thrusts Thai drag into spotlight

Thailand’s drag scene has come under the global spotlight after “Gawdland”, a Thai drag queen, was crowned winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World Series 3 — widely regarded as the “Olympics” of drag queens. 

In an interview with Bangkokbiznews, Gawdland spoke about her journey on the international stage, expressing pride in representing Thai culture and helping Thai drag shine worldwide, winning the hearts of global audiences.

Gawdland, whose real name is Tharathep Thaweephon, is a 23-year-old drag artist who began her journey at the age of 20 while studying at the Faculty of Communication Arts at Chulalongkorn University. She performed at House of Heals, where she first pursued drag as a career.

“I’ve always wanted to earn money since I was young, and drag felt like something I loved that could also provide a stable income. There were many examples showing it could be a real career — and now I’m living that reality,” she said. 

Her drag name “Gawdland” is derived from her Thai name: “Thara” meaning land and “Thep” meaning god — combined to reflect a powerful identity.

She first gained recognition after competing in “Drag Race Thailand” Season 3, where she finished joint third. Although she did not win, she later secured a place in RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World Series 3, which featured 10 queens from around the world competing for the title of “Queen of the Mothertucking World”, along with a 50,000-pound prize, crown and sceptre.

A secret gamble for the world stage

Gawdland is the second Thai contestant in the Drag Race franchise, following Pangina Heals, who competed in the first season and impressed global audiences with Thai drag artistry.

She described the preparation as both stressful and demanding.

“It was exhausting — harder than usual because I couldn’t tell anyone. I had to prepare in secret, with only a small inner circle helping. I’m grateful to myself for getting through that,” she said. 

For the competition, Gawdland invested heavily, spending around 1 million baht on costumes, wigs and performance equipment. She prepared 20 outfits in total, including a witch costume costing about 100,000 baht that required advanced prosthetic techniques. The investment proved worthwhile, drawing praise from audiences around the world.

The financial burden was immense. She used all her savings and borrowed from friends, revealing that she had just six baht left in her bank account when she departed for the competition.

“Representing Thailand, I didn’t want to fall short. I gave everything I had,” she said.

The show is hosted by RuPaul, one of the most iconic figures in drag culture. Gawdland described meeting him as surreal. “It was beyond excitement — like living in a fantasy. I’ve always wanted to meet him, and not only did I meet him, I received the crown from him. It’s far bigger than I ever imagined.”

With her charming personality and strong performances, she won the first three episodes and never had to lip-sync for survival. Her ability to make RuPaul laugh led fans to call her “RuPaul’s new favourite”.

“It’s an honour. To win this stage, you have to make RuPaul love you, laugh with you, and appreciate who you are. If he does, nothing feels wrong anymore,” she said. 

Finding her place among drag queens from around the world

Contestants came from seven countries, including the UK, US, Canada, Mexico, Germany, the Philippines and Thailand, giving Gawdland exposure to diverse interpretations of drag culture. “I’ve seen how differently drag can be expressed. It made me appreciate every form of drag even more,” she said.

She formed a close bond with Minty Fresh from the Philippines, whom she chose to save during the competition. “I was 100% sure I’d save Minty Fresh. We represent Asia together, and I didn’t want to see an Asian queen go home early. I wanted Southeast Asia’s legacy to stay on the global stage as long as possible,” she said. 

Their friendship continued beyond the show, with Minty Fresh flying to Thailand to support her at the finale event held at House of Heals.

Each week, contestants faced varied challenges — from lip-syncing and talk shows to acting, improvisation, makeovers, sewing and talent performances — all done independently. 

Gawdland said the toughest challenge was performing stand-up comedy alongside American drag performer Mariah Balenciaga. “Doing comedy in English — which isn’t my first language — was incredibly difficult. Even Thai comedy is hard. But thankfully, it went well and RuPaul enjoyed it,” she said.

Flying the flag for Thai culture on the runway

On the runway, Gawdland consistently infused Thai identity into her looks — from Muay Thai-inspired outfits to Tom Yum Kung, Kinnaree, Siamese fighting fish, classical Thai dance, puppetry, the Thai flag, and a modern Thai costume inspired by royal attire associated with Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother.

“I’m very proud to showcase Thai identity in every moment on stage. In the show’s history, only three Asian winners exist — Raja, Nymphia Wind and Gawdland. This proves Thai drag artists are second to none,” she said. 

However, she noted that Thailand’s drag industry still lacks sufficient support and investment. 

“Drag artists need funding to develop skills and elevate their craft. I hope both the public and private sectors will provide more support — Thai artists are ready to deliver,” she said. “Even when I had to find resources on my own, I still won. Imagine how far we could go with proper support.”

Given the high costs of drag, she also defended queens who reuse outfits. “Not everyone has the same resources. Creating new looks, wigs or hiring dancers all cost money. Some outfits are expensive and can be reused many times — that’s creative resource management,” she said.

A bigger future for Thai drag

For those interested in entering drag, she offered encouragement: “Drag is fun but exhausting. If you truly love it and have passion, come join us — whether as an artist or supporter. This community needs more love to grow further.”

Following her victory, Gawdland is set to embark on a world tour across the UK, Europe, Australia and the United States, while continuing to base herself in Thailand. She will also continue hosting regular shows at House of Heals on weekends for her Thai fans.