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Mercedes Iman Diamond is the stage name of Curran, a Kenyan-American drag queen. He is originally from Mombasa, Kenya but resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Curran is known for competing on the eleventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race as well as being the show’s first ever Muslim contestant.

Early life and background
Curran was born in Kenya and emigrated with his grandmother to the United States when he was eleven years old. He is the second competitor, after Season 1 winner Bebe Zahara Benet, to originally be from Africa. They also both settled in Minneapolis when they moved to America. He has stated that he never came out as gay when he lived Kenya, but felt free to do so in the United States.

Curran has said that he was placed on the No Fly List because he has a Muslim sounding name. When he asked about the situation, an agent told him that he could either leave the airport or be arrested. Because Curran couldn't fly, he had to drive across state lines to perform at drag venues. He was also racially profiled while driving and pulled over by police. Due to the stress of being monitored by the United States federal government and driving around the Midwest, Curran suffered two strokes. As a result, he was forced to use a wheel chair and had to relearn his motor functions. To avoid further persecution, he legally changed his name.

Career
Mercedes Iman Diamond began her drag career eight years ago. Her first name references her car, a Mercedes. Her middle name is her biological sister's name and her last name comes from her drag mother.

RuPaul's Drag Race
In late January of 2019, it was announced that Mercedes Iman Diamond would be one of fifteen contestants on the eleventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race. When she entered the workroom for the first time, Diamond ululated to alert the other contestants that the "African Princess" had arrived. In the first mini challenge, Diamond posed with Season 6 winner Bianca del Rio.

In episode two, "Good God Girl, Get Out," the queens were tasked with parodying the American films Get Out and Black Panther. Diamond was cast in the Get Out spoof and asked to deliver the iconic line "Opulence, you own everything," from the documentary Paris is Burning. Due to a language barrier, Diamond mispronounces the line as "Oppalance, you own everything!" After the episode aired, her line was immediately turned into a meme by fans of the show. Because of her mispronunciation, Diamond was placed in the bottom two with Kahanna Montrese and made to lip-sync to "Work Bitch" by Britney Spears. In the end, Montrese was asked to leave and Diamond was asked to stay.

In episode four, “Trump: The Rusical,” the queens were cast as either key figures in the presidential administration or their political opponents. Mercedes played Ivanka Trump, but RuPaul and the other judges didn't like her portrayal. As a result, Mercedes wass placed in the bottom two with Ra'Jah O'hara and tasked with lip-synching to James Brown’s “Living in America.” After discussing the challenges of being Muslim in America in an episode about the Trump presidency, Mercedes was told by RuPaul to “sashay away” and leave the competition.

Throughout her time on the show, Diamond discussed what it's like to be Muslim in America. Initially, she was hesitant, but then she realized that she had been given a platform and had to use it. She talked about emigrating to America, coming out of the closet, and being profiled by the Terrorist Screening Center. Talking about her experiences paid off, as many young gay Muslims have reached out to her to thank her for the work she's done. Though she didn't win her season, Diamond is proud of her time on Drag Race because she has helped more people to understand that not all Muslims are terrorists.