A drag show doesn’t diminish Catholicism

In conversations about our Catholic identity at CSB+SJU, the debate can get reduced to sweeping claims about what our campuses are doing “wrong.” An op-ed published in last week’s paper is a clear example of that.

I think many members of our community have expressed their disappointment or frustration toward the piece. That response doesn’t surprise me. But it raises a question: was that reaction part of the point?When an argument is framed in such absolute terms, it makes me wonder whether or not the goal of it was a thoughtful critique, or if it was simply meant to serve as a provocation to invite backlash and attention. Well, if it was the latter, it clearly worked.

What specifically irked me about last week’s opinion piece was the claim that drag shows on campus represent a failure of Benedictine “hospitality.” This interpretation assumes that welcoming people in is the same thing as endorsing every belief or perspective they bring with them. But that’s not what hospitality has historically meant in a Benedictine context or in a broader Catholic one. Hospitality, at its core, is about treating others with respect and dignity, especially those who might otherwise feel excluded. In chapter 53 of St. Benedict’s Rule (as translated by the monks in our very own St. John’s Abbey in 1980), he states, “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matthew 25:35).” Essentially, welcome others as they are, not after they’ve met a certain standard. Turning the concept of “hospitality” into something that only applies to those who already align with a specific moral framework disregards its purpose. Who are we to judge who does and doesn’t deserve the opportunity to be included? Who are we to judge who is and isn’t welcome in our community?

A drag show doesn’t force anyone to change their beliefs about gender or sexuality. It doesn’t—and shouldn’t—demand you to agree. What the drag show, and many other on-campus events, does is create a space where students can feel free to express themselves, enjoy themselves, build a community and, most importantly, be seen, especially in a society where marginalization and violent rhetoric against people who don’t fit in with the historical “norm” is rampant. Additionally, despite what some people think, and what was clearly assumed in last week’s op-ed, drag itself isn’t inherently about sexuality or gender identity. Dressing up in what society deems as “feminine” attire doesn’t automatically mean you’re transgender. If it did, that would mean that every man who wore sheath dresses and eyeliner in ancient Egypt was transgender. That would mean that every man who played female roles in Shakespeare’s plays in the 16th century was transgender. That would mean that all of the Founding Fathers who wore wigs and heels were transgender.

Drag is a method of performance and a form of expression. Reducing it to something immoral, or “disordered” as it was stated in the op-ed, oversimplifies and disrespects what it actually is.

As someone involved in The Record, I’ve witnessed firsthand and have had the privilege to write about the effort and intention behind various campus events. I’m one of the variety editors, and my co-editor and I made the decision to include a photo spread of one such event—the drag show—in one of our recent editions to reflect something that was genuinely meaningful to a portion of the student body. Dismissing these events outright ignores and blatantly disrespects the performers, organizers and staff members who worked extremely hard to put the show together. May I add, the show had so many people there (on a Saturday night, mind you) that it was nearly overflowing the Black Box Theater. I would know; I was happily in attendance.

Campus organizations like QPLUS (who organized the event) don’t just appear randomly. There’s a reason why they exist, and it’s because there are students on these campuses who need and benefit from spaces like that. Criticizing those spaces without acknowledging that need dismisses the experiences of the people who rely on them. For the record, I’m straight and cisgender. QPLUS has the total right to deny my participation in their events, given that they’re centered around creating a welcoming community for those who identify as LGBTQ+. However, they don’t, and I am (and many others are) welcomed to participate in whatever fun activities they host, like the drag show. How’s that for hospitality?

The argument in last week’s op-ed also raised a practical question in my mind: what exactly is the alternative being proposed? The piece complained a lot about what this institution is bad at doing, but failed to state anything that could be done to “build a culture centered around the Catholic faith.” It’s easy to critique what exists, but much more difficult to propose something realistic in its place. If it’s talking about developing a strictly Catholic model of student life, sure, Saturday nights could be spent at Bible studies or saying nightly prayers and going to bed early. But where’s the balance? College is also a time for social life and personal exploration. And more importantly, not everyone on this campus is Catholic. CSB+SJU may be rooted in a specifically Catholic tradition, but it is also a shared space with students of different beliefs. Any potential vision of a future campus life has to take that into account.

Going along with student population, the opinion also argued that enrollment at CSB+SJU is down because we don’t “embrace the Catholic identity and tradition” as much as other Catholic colleges do. But that fails to point out a few factors. First of all, student enrollment across higher education is shaped by factors like cost, academic programs, financial aid, location and population/demographic changes. It’s difficult to draw a direct comparison between CSB+SJU and other Catholic insitutions because each college is structured around very different missions and institutional identities. Additionally, according to articles by Vatican News and EWTN News, the decline in religious vocations among monks and sisters is a part of a broader trend across religious life in the Western world over the past several decades. By framing all of these changes as evidence of a weakened Catholic identity, it reduces complex societal developments into one ideological explanation that doesn’t quite hold up. Correlation does not equal causation.

None of this is to say that CSB+SJU’s campus culture is beyond critique. For example, one point in last week’s opinion concerned the drinking culture on our campuses, and it was something I partly agree with. I think it’s fair to question what kind of “community” is being built when that concept of “community” becomes synonymous with drinking, specifically during the notorious TAMSAK season or on the upcoming Case Day. But it serves as a weak argument to lump completely different parts of student life together (in this case, putting harmful drinking habits in the same bubble as whimsical people minding their own business and playing dress-up on a stage) and regard them as “equally bad.” It makes it harder (for me, at least) to take the argument seriously.

CSB+SJU’s identity has been shaped by both its Catholic roots and its commitment to community. Those two things don’t have to be in conflict. Welcoming others doesn’t have to be the same as agreeing with them, and creating spaces for self-expression doesn’t have to be the same as abandoning beliefs.

I’ll leave with one final thought from scripture. From 1 Samuel 16:7: “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Human standards do not determine God’s opinion of you. God’s judgement is based on intentions and moral integrity, not superficial qualities or societal expectations.

I lied: here’s my actual final statement. If you missed out on watching RuPaul’s Drag Race season 18, don’t worry! The first episode of season 11 of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (a spin-off in which a bunch of previous competitors from the main show come back to compete for the crown) is airing this Friday-yes, this Friday, May 8!—on Paramount+. I promise—watch one episode and you’ll be hooked. Tune in while you wait for next year’s CSB+SJU Drag Show!