MOORHEAD — In a kaleidoscope of glitter, sequins and boundless creativity, the Campus Events Commission and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission came together for Concordia’s annual drag show. With support from FM Drag United, eight performers were brought from the local community and Minneapolis.
CEC Special Events Commissioner Aidan Sears and DEIC Belonging Commissioner Siam Shimul have been working on planning the event since the beginning of the year.
“I started sending emails in either September or October,” Sears said. “Eight performers were brought in. Six from Fargo and two from Minneapolis.”
Through FM Drag United, Sears and Shimul were able to find performers from the area to deliver a spectacular drag show, captivating the audiences and celebrating diversity in a dazzling display of talent.
The event took place on March 15 from 8 to 9:30 p.m. With limited seating within the advertisement, many students flocked to the Centrum to experience the show.
The event was attended by at least 150 students, according to Sears. Sears views drag as a form of expression that is under attack by legislation.
“I think drag as a queer art form is super important to highlight,” Sears said. “Especially with lots of laws in recent years being put in place to make it illegal.”
In states such as Tennessee, drag performers are being censored by various bills and laws. The Human Rights Campaign has been fighting against bills not only in Tennessee, but nationwide.
“HRC has been actively fighting against the more than 40 discriminatory anti-drag bills nationwide that threaten to criminalize drag performances. Many of these bills dub all drag performances erroneously as “adult cabaret performances,” said Jose Soto with the Human Rights Campaign. “This legislation is masked in the conservative claim of protecting our nation’s children, but they are nothing more than a blatant part of a widespread assault on the entire LGBTQ+ community.”
For many students, this was their first experience going to a drag show. For first-year social studies education student, Malik Smith, this was his first experience at a drag show.
“As a queer student at Concordia, it was great to see organizations highlight queer art, especially drag,” Smith said. “It’s a staple for the queer community and such a safe space.”
Chea Baugh, a nursing major, has not had much interaction with drag as an art form and has fallen in love with the art form.
“I’ve not even watched RuPaul’s Drag Race, so I went into the experience blind,” Baugh said. “I was in such awe! It was such a fun, inviting atmosphere and I had a blast.”
Though Baugh had a great time, she was concerned for the performer’s safety.
“I was scared for the performers hurting themselves when they did the death drops and cartwheels on the cement,” said Baugh. “But I had a smile on my face the whole time and enjoyed the experience. I would definitely go again.”
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