Rainbow Pride Union offered students a ticket to paradise at the group’s 11th annual drag show Thursday, held in the Anderson Center’s Chamber Hall.
The show’s theme was “Drag You to Paradise,” with an island-like display showcasing a mini-volcano in the background of the stage with trees surrounding it and a color-changing background.
Donald Lodge, director RPU and a junior double-majoring in political science and Chinese, said that the event demonstrated what drag is in an open environment.
“Drag became really popular in the ’70s and ’80s with the gay rights movement, and was propelled even further with the popularity of RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Lodge said. “It is just a big part of gay culture, and gay bars, where people meet each other and is just a fun, entertaining activity.”
Daniel Miller, a senior majoring in English, talked about learning how people can express themselves through drag.
“The show has been really good so far and all of the amateur performances were done really well,” Miller said. “When I first came to Binghamton, and the first time I went to a gay bar, I was confused and creeped out by it. Once I realized that it is an art form that people spend a lot of time preparing for to transform themselves to entertain others, I thought it was actually pretty cool.”
Performers kept the audience entertained, several blowing kisses or gradually unveiling more and more parts of their costume.
Kacie Kalies, a sophomore majoring in biology, co-directed the show and performed with the stage name Will Ryder during the first half of the show.
“Going up there to perform was initially terrifying and really scary for me,” Kalies said. “But then, you have eye sex with one of the girls in the crowds and it’s completely OK for the event. And you are good.”
Austin Blumenfeld, a sophomore majoring in political science, said he thought the show was fun and interesting.
“I thought it was pretty entertaining,” Blumenfeld said. “I have never been to this type of show before, but I have seen my roommate watching RuPaul, and it seems really cool. I thought the emcee going out into the audience was pretty funny, and led to a lot of awkward situations.”
The show was emceed by Katrina, a drag queen who hosts the Thursday night drag show at Merlin’s bar in Downtown Binghamton. She interacted with and entertained the audience between each performance, giving several audience members lap dances and having fun conversations with “virgin” drag show attendees.
Mike Angiuli, a member of RPU and a sophomore majoring in mathematics, said the event was a good way to entertain and inform the public
“Drag is a big part of the gay community, which some people don’t always see or understand,” Angiuli said. “It is a lot of fun, however, and a lot of work goes into this event, and it comes out really well every year.”
Proceeds from the show, which drew over 100 people, went to the Binghamton Pride Coalition, a support group for the local LGBTQA community.