Q+ Drag Show entertains and raises awareness

Last Friday, six drag queens graced the CSB+SJU Gorecki stage amid pride flags and fluorescent lights, lip-syncing to their screaming crowd. The Q+ event is an annual competition which aims to spread community awareness and embrace the identities of LGBTQ+ students. Boasting the monikers “Melonie,” “Lilith Phoenix,” “Grassy Knoll,” “Cirque Du Vinity,” “Skinny Legend” and “Miss Angelina Bimbette,” the queens each performed their own song dressed in monochrome-themed outfits. Critiqued by the judges’ panel, which consisted of Black Student Union’s president Dee Statum, Librarian and Q+ Advisor Sarah Gewirtz, Assistant Director of the Multicultural Center Qiwei Zhang and the SJU Dean of Students Mike Connolly, two of the six queens —Cirque Du Vinity and Grassy Knoll—were chosen to go head-to-head for the final crown. “Putting yourself out there is something to be proud of,” said SJU junior Justus White, who performed as Cirque Du Vinity. White performed to “Run the World (Girls)” by Beyonce, donning a teal top, purple skirt, heels, wig and signature white glasses. The performance earned him a place at the final competition, where after freestyling to “SOS” by Rihanna with Grassy Knoll, he won over the judges and ultimately became the winner of the 2023 Q+ Drag Show. “I’m used to going outside and throwing myself around,” White said. He—along with the other queens—had been practicing since late February, learning new moves both in the presence of others and alone in the lounge of his residential hall at 3 a.m. He learned how to perform through the TV shows “Dance Moms” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the latter of which also inspired his stage mentality, fashion choices and tricks. But White was not the only one who delivered both in crowd engagement and confidence. Under the music of campus DJs Dennis Dean II, Trent Thompson and Robert Adderley, the queens embodied confidence and sensuality. The show’s 300 attendees shrieked with every back handspring and “death drop”—a move where one imitates the ground being swept out under them, resulting in a pose on the ground—as did the 200 livestream viewers. The timing of the show could not be more relevant. In Tennessee, an anti-drag law was passed in March 2023 which explicitly banned drag performances in public space. Currently, the law is being considered by at least eight other states—one of which is Minnesota. The law restricts “adult cabaret performances” specifically in public, in the presence of children and within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, and religious places. Violations of the law are punishable by a $2,500 fine and/or a year in jail. Repeat violations are subject to a felony charge and up to six years in jail. In addition, over 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were either passed or introduced in the last year, most of which target trans youth through health care bans, sports team regulations and bathroom restrictions. Gewirtz said that’s why clubs like Q+ and their subsequent events are important, as they “put a human face” onto an issue that is largely stigmatized by politics. “I think it’s important for non-Q+ members to attend events like this, because I think it brings that understanding… hopefully they’d leave it thinking ‘oh, that wasn’t scary,’ or ‘that wasn’t a big deal,’ and ‘nobody hit on me’ and stuff like that,” Gewirtz said. “[Members of Q+] are unique and should be celebrated. And I think others, because of their fears, miss out on that.” SJU senior Sean Fisher encouraged students to reach out and support the LGBTQ+ community through resources like GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Both are donatable organizations that tackle cases related to family, school, employment, housing, public accommodations and more. “Drag is an art, not a crime,” Fisher said.