The Pride Center at SVSU put on its 10th annual drag show on Saturday, April 1, in the Thompson Student Activities Room.
The event featured several different drag queens and kings from various parts of Michigan strutting their stuff in an attempt to raise money for AIDS Run & Walk Great Lakes Bay Region through Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Center’s HIV/AIDS Care Program.
The event was sponsored by various local businesses as well as SVSU’s Student Association and Cardinal Radio who provided the sound for the show.
The show began with host and former SVSU student DeeDee Chaunte introducing SVSU’s own improvisation group Work N Progress, which warmed up the crowd with some improvisational games. Chaunte has been doing female impersonation for roughly the past three years.
Soon after, the drag show began, and immediately, the nearly-to-capacity room lit up as each performer took the stage and gave their lip sync performances. The performances included popular songs such as Fergie’s “Fergalicious” and Amanda Lepore’s “My Hair Looks Fierce.” Chaunte also invited audience members to the stage to play short games such as a dance off as well as promiscuous games like “What should the straight man touch?” and oppositely “What should the drag queen touch?” which gave audience members the opportunity to get a little more “intimate” with Chaunte.
The show also featured an SVSU freshman drag king who went by the name “Bad Lad” singing a rendition of “What the F*ck?” from the musical “If/Then.”
Additionally, the event included a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction that featured items donated by various local businesses as well as decorative designer high-heeled shoes inspired by queer popular culture such as Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” and the classic Marilyn Monroe film “Some Like it Hot.”
Between ticket sales, the raffle, and the auctions, the event ended up raising $2,230.
Though the event was mainly to raise money for a good cause, the impact that it has for LGBTQ+ students on campus is one of the more important elements the Pride Center hoped to get across.
Chaunte, who has hosted the event in the past, said that shows like this promote inclusion and allows students of the LGBTQ+ community to know that they belong and that they should not be ostracized due to their sexuality.
Bachelors of social work intern for the Pride Center and SVSU senior Mishelle Powell was one of the main contributors in planning and running the event.
“(The show) raises money for the AIDS walk, first of all, which is its primary purpose,” Powell said. “It also raises awareness and openness to the LGBT community on campus.”
Every year, one of the mandates of the show is to embrace human sexuality and bring together LGBTQ+ individuals to give them a safe space to celebrate their similarities as well as their differences.
“I feel like this is a no judgment zone … and it’s just a fun time,” said communication freshman Claire Durling, who was volunteering at the event.
