USU Resident Life Hosts Drag Show for Students
Glue down those eyebrows and draw on the facial hair, because these performers, in the words of RuPaul, were “all born naked and the rest is drag.”
On Nov. 13, USU Resident Life and Logan Pride teamed up to host the annual USU Drag Show in the TSC Ballroom, where a packed room of students got to watch 22 performances by the nine participating queens and two kings.
“I loved seeing the support and how many people came out for the show,” Allie Stack, psychology major, said. “There weren’t any empty seats, and it was really awesome to see.”
Before the performances began, audience members got to hear from Joel Arvizo Zabala, a University of Utah graduate student and executive director of a private consulting firm. They talked to the audience about what being LGBTQ meant to them and their journey of self-discovery, as well as others they have witnessed.
“I’m really, really grateful they invited me to attend,” Zabala said. “I was born and raised in Utah, and it can be conservative, but I’ve always wanted to do drag myself. I knew I just needed to do my best at the event and share some stories, but after this experience, I’m making it a goal for myself that a year from today, either here or somewhere else, I’m going to do drag.”
Zabala encouraged students to remain open-minded to the world around them and to be themselves and do what makes them happy, highlighting how they proudly carry a purse into court no matter the stares they get.
“Expectations can be good sometimes; they can help us learn and grow and become exactly who we are, but sometimes those expectations aren’t ours,” Zabala said. “So you just have to say, I’m interested in something different, and be open and honest enough with yourself to pursue whatever it might be and look for inspiration everywhere.”
The show opened with the host, Ms. Gigi, performing a lip-sync mashup of Miley Cyrus hits. The queens and kings performed a variety of different lip-sync styles, from slow ballads to throwback bops. Drag king Marlone even took the chance to send a message about consent at the end of their performance, while drag queen Jathiccc Wellz hyped the crowd up with a charismatic and death-drop filled performance.
“I absolutely loved Jathiccc’s performance,” Stack said. “She was awesome. She had so much personality and I loved her outfit.”
Following the show, the queens and kings sat down for a Q&A session with questions sent in by audience members. They answered a variety of questions, from how they got their drag name and first times in drag to whether someone could do drag without having to be sexy.
“I got my name because I wanted to go off of Lizzie McGuire, who’s my favorite,” Lizzie McQueen said. “Just last year, when I did this show, was my first time in drag. The outfit was okay. The makeup was questionable. And the hair was a choice.”
“My favorite part about drag is being funny,” Marlone said. “Some of the best drag performances I’ve done are all about humor, not sexy. So if you don’t want to be sexy, be funny, or if you don’t want to be funny, be dramatic. There’s a lot of different ways you can do it.”
Drag queen Brandy Champagne also shocked the crowd by revealing that her two-in-one dress to jumpsuit outfit was hand-sewn and designed by herself. She said that she largely learned to sew by taking fashion classes during her time at USU.
Closing the event, the queens and kings offered some final words of advice for any aspiring drag performers in the audience.
“Be yourself,” Jenna Say Kwah, a drag queen, said. “There’s plenty of people to guide you and there’s plenty of people to listen to you cry and hear your problems, and they will lead you to be better, but you have to start with yourself first. That’s where you truly find an art that you enjoy.”
Brandy Champagne added to that, encouraging audience members to not compare themselves to other performers and be themselves, while drag queen Madam Lacrude told them not to let the expenses of drag stop them. But no matter their reasoning, the overall consensus was clear: just try it.
“If you’re nervous about getting into drag or performing, I encourage you to just do it,” Emerald, a drag queen, said. “It’s always scary stepping up on this stage, but the more you do it, the more you look out on the crowd, have them cheer you on or tip you, the more appreciation you have of your bravery. It’s very brave to step on the stage, but every time it’s been worth it for me, and it’ll be worth it for you.”
— nichole.bresee@aggiemail.usu.edu
@breseenichole