Curran was born and raised in Mombasa, Kenya, and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he created the drag persona Mercedes Iman Diamond and competed in pageants.
Mercedes Iman Diamond was the first Muslim contestant on Drag Race; Internet memes of her appearance on the show went viral, and her lines in a parody film challenge inspired a dance remix by Adam Joseph.
[4] He moved to the United States at the age of eleven and created his drag persona Mercedes Iman Diamond at the Minneapolis club Gay 90s a decade later.
", she performed poorly in the photo shoot mini-challenge and wore an outfit for the runway that was inspired by former Drag Race contestant Bianca Del Rio.
[14][15] Despite her initial reluctance to discuss her identity,[16] on the third episode ("Diva Worship"), Mercedes Iman Diamond described her experience of being racially profiled and placed on the No Fly List for years because she was from Kenya.