Herald Staff
This year was the second time that a drag show has taken place on campus. This year, it was hosted and headlined by The Vixen, from Rupaul’s Drag Race, and was in the Bartlet Theater. It was headed by the LGBTQ+Resource Center.
Drag shows are often seen as a part of queer culture. The performances consist of people dressed as exaggerated genders, often of the opposite sex or gender. Many drag artists are making comments on the gender binary, which is especially important to think about in our current political climate, after the actions taken by political leaders in redefining gender and attempting to erase certain individuals. While many people see drag as a fun event, which it can be, others see it in a more negative view, as an appropriation of transgender individuals; but this is not what I hope to comment on. The importance of drag is its ability to make us have discussions, as one of the main parts of drag is challenging traditional codes. We were able to experience this in a small section of our campus.
The show consisted of four performers: Casanova King, Dizzy Discretion, Natasha Champagne, and The Vixen. The first three did three songs each, with The Vixen closing the show. After the show, Casanova, Dizzy and Natasha all stayed to take pictures with audience members and talk to students. They said that the audience was a “good one, full of enthusiasm.”
For both the discussions and the fun of this event, the drag show seems to be becoming a tradition for HWS.