@jansportnyc12/TikTok
- Jan Sport of "RuPaul's Drag Race" had her TikTok account suspended.
- She said she was locked out after posting a video of her impersonating George Santos' drag persona.
- Photos and videos have emerged of the now-congressman dressed in drag over a decade ago.
When photos and videos of Rep. George Santos apparently dressed in drag started to emerge earlier this month, Jan Sport was inundated with messages from fans telling her she had a doppelganger.
The "RuPaul's Drag Race" star, who also goes by Jan, initially didn't know what everyone was talking about. But after looking at the photos of Kitara Ravache, Santos' reported drag persona, Jan knew what she had to do.
On Saturday, she put on a wig, red dress, and some jewelry, and spent all of five minutes doing her makeup, before recording a video of her impersonating Santos as Kitara Ravache for her 294,000 TikTok followers.
"We did it one take," Jan told Insider. "My hair was all a mess and I was like this could not have gone more perfectly if I had really tried."
Initially, the video was well-received, getting positive comments from fellow drag queens, more than 400,000 views on TikTok, and 75,000 likes on Instagram.
But she said after the video went viral, her TikTok account was suspended.
"I feel like people are out to get me because of this video," she said. "They're trying to silence our voices."
The account was put under review for adult activity on Wednesday, and at the time of reporting it remained locked, Jan said.
None of the videos on her account appear to fit the characterization of adult activity.
Insider contacted TikTok, which said it would look into the matter.
Jan said her hypothesis is that the video may have brought her to the attention of anti-drag conservatives, who mass-reported her account for adult activity.
"People are trying to make comparisons about drag queens sexualizing things," she said, referring to right-wing talking points that allege drag queens brainwash and groom children.
Across the US, Republican lawmakers are seeking to bring in new anti-drag laws.
Jan performed in "A Drag Queen Christmas" — a show that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis alleged was "sexually explicit" and marketed toward children, and which has faced multiple anti-drag protesters.
DeSantis' comments on the drag show came shortly after he signed a sexual identity and gender education bill into law, which critics have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay."
Santos has expressed support for the bill.
Jan said that given Santos' drag-queen past, this reeks of hypocrisy. "The fact that she can participate in that and then weaponize against it, I think is very dangerous."