This week on The It Girl Podcast, Britney Shields is joined by the luminous Gia Giselle for a powerful, wide-ranging conversation about visibility, survival, and stepping fully into your era. Gia opens up about traveling across America on the Taylor Swift Eras Drag Brunch Tour as a trans woman of color — what it meant to take up space in unfamiliar cities, the joy of performing for new audiences, and the realities of safety on the road.

We talk about Gia’s transformative year, including accessing gender-affirming care that has profoundly increased her sense of safety and confidence in public spaces. She shares how she found her political voice, built an online platform, and learned to speak with clarity and conviction in a moment when visibility truly matters.

Gia also reflects on her path before drag — earning her master’s degree, becoming a teacher, dabbling in marketing and digital media, and eventually finding drag as the place where all her skills, passions, and purpose finally aligned.

Then we get into the It Girls of the week:

· Heated Rivalry reaching a new temperature with its “All the Things She Said” needle drop — an instant gay canon moment — and Jordan Firstman calling out the show’s authenticity, creating the perfect storm of controversy that only makes an It Girl stronger

· The state of the U.S. economy and the very real struggle so many people are facing just to get by

· Tyra Banks’ off-the-rails Sydney club appearance, sending the gays into a collective spiral

· The endless entertainment of Smize & Dream Ice Cream and Tyra’s lasting cultural contribution, from business ventures to Life-Size

· The tragic loss of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, and the disturbing response from the president that has even longtime allies recoiling

· Tinashe and her pursuit to break ground and create opportunities in the music industry that seems intent on shutting her out

· Taylor Swift, and the important distinction between calling her a MAGA Barbie versus a capitalist queen

· Zohran Mamdani’s epic year, and the hope he represents for progressives and democratic socialists

Finally, we close with something special: the announcement of the It Girl nominations for the LA drag community. Gia joins Britney to reveal the nominees for:

✨ It Girl Categories (Cultural):

· It Girl of the Year

· Niche Girl of the Year

· It Girl Who Got Away

· Cancelled Queen

✨ Niche Girl Categories (Local Awards):

· Drag Queen of the Year

· Drag King of the Year

· Drag Parent of the Year

· Pioneer of the Year

· Rising Star of the Year

· Ingenue of the Year

It’s a conversation about movement — across cities, identities, careers, and culture — and what it means to claim your space unapologetically.