This Saturday, UNM will make the queer community prouder.
The University is hosting its first annual drag show and prom this weekend, organized by the Queer Straight Alliance.
QSA event organizer Adam Quintero said campus drag shows aren’t uncommon at other schools around the country.
“We went to D.C. for the National Equality March, and we went to some student group workshops,” he said. “A guy from (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) was saying how MIT would give them $50,000 a year to do their drag show, because they had to pay for the ballroom and everything, but we got ours free.”
Quintero said QSA wanted to do a prom this year, and then the idea for a drag show followed, with support from Student Special Events.
“It just became this big event that catapulted into what we’re doing on Saturday,” he said. “We have ballrooms A, B and C rented out and we’ve been sending e-mails and promoting this. So the first two hours are a drag show competition with many performances. The second two hours are going to be prom with the theme of ‘Hollywood Red Carpet.’”
QSA held two auditions earlier this month for the drag show court and narrowed it down to three kings and three queens. After the competition, the judges will pick a king and queen. The judges include Quintero, Greek Mythology Professor Monica Cyrino, ASUNM President Monika Roberts, Albuquerque Pride Executive Board Vice President Jesse Lopez and Miss New Mexico Pride 2009 Sabryna Williams.
“The winners will start out our prom and dance the first dance together,” Quintero said. “I think this is the biggest event that we’ve ever done.”
Executive Director of Student Special Events, Paul Spella, said SSE was excited to collaborate on the event.
“We’ve worked with QSA on a couple of events for the past three or four years,” Spella said. “But it’s nice to see that they’re really growing and that they have more members and more and more support.”
Spella said QSA wanted to make sure the drag participants would feel safe and comfortable at the event.
“We will have security for the event, but as far as additional security, I don’t think we’re doing anything too crazy,” he said. “We are aware (of possible danger), and a woman who is actually helping us organize everything, she is a director of a lot of local drag shows. She did express some concern about being able to park close to the building for the performers.”
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QSA chairwoman Brandy Rodke said she is pleased with the amount of acceptance she has seen on campus in regard to the drag show.
“A lot of the faculty members and students were excited about it,” she said. “It’s definitely something new to this campus so we did get some turndowns for people not accepting the fliers, or they made strange faces. But we’re still welcoming all those who aren’t comfortable or used to it.”
Rodke said this Saturday would be a good way to introduce people into drag show culture.
“It might be kind of shocking at first because normally you don’t see a guy or girl in drag, and having that confusion of sexuality or sexual orientation (can be confusing),” she said. “To get that sort of shaken up can be kind of shocking at first. It’s a lot of fun though. Regardless of sexual orientation it’s just really entertaining.”
*QSA Drag Show and Prom
SUB Ballroom
Saturday
7 p.m.
Free
*
