The Pride Network at UR, founded in 1969 and formerly known as the Gay Liberation Front, promotes a secure haven for the discussion of issues pertaining to sexuality and identity.
Throughout the year, the organization invites guest speakers and holds educational events to foster and endorse their cause of sexuality acceptance. In October, which happens to be Gay History Month, the Pride Network hosts their annual Drag Show, a long-standing tradition. This year’s Drag Show took place last Friday in the May Room in Wilson Commons.
This year’s Drag Show was hosted by Ambrosia Salad, a professional drag queen who performs in the Rochester area. Salad, dressed in high heels and shiny blue hair, marveled the audience with her humor and sexual innuendos. The drag kings consisted of Windz and Raven and the drag queens were Jenna, Samantha Vega and Pandora Boxx.
Drag shows have deeply rooted historical ties within the gay community. Performances are held in clubs, bars and gay pride parades. For those unfamiliar with drag shows, a drag king is actually a female who dresses up as a male and a drag queen is a male who portrays a female figure.
The show largely deals with performances by drag kings and queens who dance to popular songs while dressed in attire that compliments the song they are grooving to. Drag kings typically have short hair and artificial facial hair, while drag queens wear colorful wigs, makeup and strap-on padded bras.
Both the drag kings and queens lip sync to popular songs and get the audience hyped up by allowing audience members to come and greet them as they perform.
“[Drag shows] don’t present a proper representation due to the exaggerated qualities portrayed of the opposite sex,” Pride Network’s president and junior Alyssa Waddill said.
In past performances, Windz fed strawberries to audience members while Raven rode a tricycle, singing, “If life is a highway, I’m going to ride it all night long.”
In the first performance of the evening, a drag queen dressed up in a glittery green dress and even let audience members slip money into her dress. Hip-hop jams were also incorporated into the act as a drag king, dressed up in “thugged-out” attire, lip synced popular hip-hop song, “Pop, Lock and Drop it.”
Some of the songs played during the performance were “Teenagers,” by My Chemical Romance, “New York, New York,” by Frank Sinatra and “Invincible” and various other songs by pop mogul Justin Timberlake.
The Pride Network sponsored a truly unique and unforgettable event that allowed Rochester’s gay community to creatively express themselves through song and dance. Their energy resonated through the walls of the May Room and echoed the pride and excitement that members of the audience felt.
If you missed the drag show, the Pride Network plans to hold an education panel and a Gender Presentation workshop on Oct. 24.
Tase is a member of the class of 2010.
