Diversity Event- RIC Drag Show

For my diversity event I went to something really different: a drag show! I didn't really know what to expect going in, but it definitely sounded like an event that would be fun. I brought my friend Courtney with me.

Going in I wasn't sure what a drag show was exactly. I knew that there would be people dressed in drag, but what did they do? Did they walk around and socialize? Did they preform? Did they just kind of do a walk down the catwalk and get judged on how well their drag looked, almost like a custom contest?

I was also thinking things like "if a man is dressed as a woman, would they prefer to be identified as a he or a she? Should I refer to a women dressed up as a man as "him" or "her"? It made me a little uncomfortable going in with out a clear knowledge of queer etiquette. I think the best way to describe it was that I was being put into a position that I wasn't familiar being in. I didn't know the codes of power when it came to gay, lesbian, and transgender people. I was also the minority in the group being a straight girl. I think it was a real Delpit moment for me.

I think it was a great experience to have because I found myself thinking things that I wouldn't normally expect myself to think. I was thinking "I wonder if people presume that my friend and I are gay because we're here" and then I thought "well, who cares if they do?" and then I thought "What if they think I'm straight and they're wondering why I'm here", almost as if I felt that I didn't have the right to be there because I was straight. It was all very strange.

The show itself was really cool. First they had an amateur drag contest and they had experienced drag performers judging. The performances were all done to songs with the drag queens and kings dancing. One of the perforers did an interesting thing. They started off dressed as a girl, and then during the dance she changed her clothes and appearance to make herself look like a man. It was clever because she used mascara to make her facial hair, turing something that females are encouraged to use to look beautiful and feminie and making into something that made her look masculine. And she did it to the song 'Be a Man' from Mulan.

After that they had performances by the experienced drag queens. All of the performers just had incredible energy and lots of personality and they made everyone laugh. I found myself thinking of them as the gender that they were dressed as, and so my question about whether or not I should address them as a "he" or a "she" became less important. I just didn't even think about it anymore.


I had a very unique experience. When I first sat down and my friend and I were waiting for the show to start, one of the girls came up to me and said "Hi, Shayla."

I smiled, unsure, and said hello back, then asked if I knew her. It was my childhood friend, Kevin, who lived one street over from me. I was really, really shocked, but at the same time I felt really happy to see him there. I can't really explain why, I think it's because he seemed so happy doing what he was doing and he doesn't have to hide who he is.

Overall I'm really glad that I went to the event. I think I have a better understanding about what transgender people are all about. They're not just a joke, they're people who are doing something that they love to do. They like to be able to be the sex that they identify with, even if it's just long enough to preform for a night.