Aleena’s A-List 11/22

Purposeful Transphobia Jeopardizes Safety of Transwomen

On Nov. 7, officers responded to a call from the Goodtimes Hotel about influencer Nikita Dragun acting disorderly, leading to her subsequent arrest.

Dragun was charged with felony battery for assaulting an officer, a misdemeanor for disorderly conduct, and a violation of a municipal ordinance. On the Miami-Dade County Clerk’s Office, it indicates that during the processing, Dragun was misgendered and listed as a male.

Dragun is a controversial transgender influencer with millions of followers across various platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, and Tiktok. After a string of arrests, she has recently discussed her struggles with her recent diagnosis of bipolar disorder and her search for treatment.

At the Goodtimes Hotel, police responded to a call from hotel staff of Dragun walking around undressed, refusing to comply with staff.

When the police came to the hotel, Dragun was in her room playing loud music, continuing to be a disturbance. 

Dragun was not quick to open the door, and when officers demanded she open her door again after slamming it in their faces she “proceeded to swing an open water bottle causing the water to hit and spill on both the security guards Mr. Bazile and Officer Gonzalez,” as indicated in the affidavit.

Dragun was charged with felony battery on a police officer, misdemeanor battery, and misdemeanor disorderly conduct. Dragun was placed in jail under possible bond release.

Screenshots of the affidavit purposefully misgendering Dragun were posted on Twitter by NBC News Tech and Culture Reporter Kat Tenbarge. It states that, “the above-listed individual appears as a female but would like to be recognized as a male.”

During Dragun’s bond court hearing, Judge Mindy Sue Glazer asked Dragun, “What would you like to be referred to as?” 

When discussing Dragun’s bond amount, Dragun asked the judge,  “Do I have to stay in the men’s unit still?” Judge Glazer responded with, “Yeah I don’t make the rules up there.”

Judge Glazer advised Dragun to speak with the bondsman for proper accommodations and asked to have in the file for a follow-up on Dragun’s updated accommodations. 

After posting her bond of $5,000, Dragun is now released with her arrangement hearing in Miami scheduled for Dec. 7.

Selena Gomez’s Petty Feud with Life-Saving Kidney Donor

Selena Gomez prolongs her public fallout with Francia Raisa, her best friend and kidney donor,

with a surprising comment on TikTok. 

These back-and-forth comments took place after the release of Gomez’s documentary, “Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me,” where Gomez said her only friend in the industry was Taylor Swift.

After the Nov. 2 release of her documentary, Rolling Stones published an interview on Nov. 3 with Gomez, who opens up about her friendships in the music industry, indicating that she considers Taylor Swift as her only friend in the industry. 

When this was shared on Twitter, Raisa commented, “Interesting” in a now-deleted tweet. 

On Nov. 6, Gomez commented under a TikTok discussing the possible drama, as well as the noticeable absence of Raisa, stating, “Sorry I didn’t mention every person I know.”

Gomez and Raisa instantly connected after they met in 2007 and have been friends ever since. Not long after meeting, and three years after Gomez’s diagnosis, Gomez needed a kidney transplant.

Raisa said she would check if she was a match, and once learning that she was, Raisa underwent the surgery to donate her kidney to Gomez. Other than having a permanent scar, Raisa’s life was greatly altered due to losing an organ. 

Before her surgery, Raisa did not consider the consequences when losing her kidney, as indicated in her 2018 SELF magazine interview, where she said that she, “Wasn’t educated on kidney surgery.” 

Raisa did not realize the scope of the surgery until speaking with her social worker.

“She told me, ‘It’s going to be hard. The recipient is going to glow, and she’s going to recover a lot faster than the donor is because she’s getting something she needs. You’re losing something you don’t need to lose. It’s going to be hard.’ And it was very hard.”