Emory Pride’s annual Drag Show showcased multiple student groups who performed in friendly competition to a packed Glenn Memorial Auditorium audience Friday night.
According to College senior and Emory Pride President Josh Bergeleen, the show was held to both celebrate and break down gender norms and expectations on campus.
The event raised money for “Lost-N-Found,” a shelter for homeless Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) youth who are kicked out of their homes due to their sexual orientation and/or gender expression.
Bergeleen said more than 450 tickets were sold, raising around $500 through ticket sales and $250 from extra donations alone. The event had more than three dozen volunteers and 100 participants.
The judges rated undergraduate, graduate and faculty groups separately. Women’s Rugby took first place in the undergraduate division with Karma Bhangra coming in second.
The Candler School of Theology won first place in the graduate division, and Residence Life and Housing’s “Scarlett Fever” won first place out of the staff.
The audience laughed and cheered as a rainbow-clad Dooley, complete with a pride flag cape and tie-dyed bra introduced the show and gave a brief history of drag.
Office of Student Leadership and Service Associate Director Jill Camper and Dobbs University Center (DUC) Director Ben Perlman joined along in the fun as MCs, attracting laughter by narrating the show as their drag counterparts “Carlos Danger” and “Cybil Disobedience.”
College senior Matthew Niebes, known as “Peach Blaus” in the show, performed on behalf of The Spoke, Emory’s humor magazine, in a dress, wig and heels.
“I am a lady, and I want to express myself as a human individual who can be anyone he/she wants to be,” said Niebes, who appeared in the show his freshman and sophomore year.
Niebes and his team danced around in women’s clothing while tantalizing a shirtless man with a Chick-fil-A sandwich in his pants, singing about how they wanted “a little meat without the Bible.”
Third-year graduate students in the School of Law Jack Grote and Tim Wilson also performed in the show on behalf of OUTLaw, the Emory School of Law’s LGBT organization.
The men wore dresses, wigs and heels and strutted down the aisles of the church as they sang.
According to Wilson, he was participating in the event to show people how to break out of gender and sexuality “boxes.”
Grote said it is important to show the audience and undergraduate community that they, referring to Wilson and himself, are still able to show their support for the LGBT community despite being in a professional educational setting.
Bergeleen said Emory Pride chose the drag show because it is a fun way to create a sense of community and start a conversation necessary to bring about change.
Senior Vice President and Dean of Campus Life Ajay Nair, who was one of the five judges for the show, said the show was important in challenging gender binaries and celebrating Emory’s rich diversity.
The show also included acts by EmRock, Karma Bhangra, Dobbs University Center, the Candler School of Theology, the Student Alumni Board, the Anime Club, Student Programming Council (SPC), Residence Life and Housing, Rollins and Laney LGBT groups, Alpha Phi Omega, Emory Spoke, OUTLaw and Women’s Rugby.
Performances featured songs and themes from popular musicians including Beyoncé Knowles and Miley Cyrus, whose wrecking balls made their debut in SPC’s dance routine.
The dance was composed mostly of SPC “newbies” who attracted laughs as they danced and twerked to Miley Cyrus’s song “Wrecking Ball.” SPC ended the dance with “SPC Loves Pride” spelled out on blow-up wrecking balls.
College junior Alycia Patton, who attended the event three times during her time at Emory, said she thought the show was fun and was impressed at its organization and at how many people showed up to watch. Others, like College sophomore Clarke Harned, agreed.
“The drag show was a fabulous demonstration of Emory’s pride and love for its gay community as well as its dedication to raising awareness for gay rights,” he said.
– By Naomi Maisel
Photo by Bahar Amalfard
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
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