Monday night was the second annual Black and Gold Drag Show, but it was the first for the majority of the evening’s kings and queens.
The event, which was hosted by the Triangle Coalition and the LGBTQ Resource Center as an end to Coming Out Week, brought members of the MU community together to celebrate liberation of sexuality.
Six drag kings, four queens and one high femme (a woman dressed as a drag queen) performed four duets and 13 solo acts. Some artists that performed included Tasha Fierce, Helen Killer, Dick Van Dyke and Johnny Houston.
Junior Margaux “Anna Matron” Walsh performed for the first time Monday night.
“I’ve been going to drag shows since I could get into clubs,” Walsh said. “I always wanted to (be in a drag show) but never really had the opportunity or the time until now.”
Tri-Co treasurer Trevor “Anastasia Chanel” Beyatte has now participated in three drag shows in the past year.
“Drag shows are a really big part of gay culture,” Beyatte said. “I came from a really small town (where) being gay was not accepted. Just for me, (drag shows) symbolize me and what I want to do. I feel like I am coming out as me.”
Tri-Co has been working all semester on this event, Tri-Co communications officer Mason Kerwick said. They reserved Stotler Lounge months in advance.
The evening’s set included multiple MU undergrads, a few graduate students and one residence hall coordinator. Anyone affiliated with MU’s campus was eligible to perform.
The show had was hosted by Beyatte and Kerwick. For Kerwick, it was his first time in the limelight after disc jockeying for Tri-Co’s 2013 spring and 2012 fall drag shows.
“I was kind of hesitant (at first) because I was not a drag performer,” Kerwick said. “… I was a bit of a goof on stage, and the audience responded really well to that. It was fun to just be part of it.”
After most of the scheduled acts, the show ran into problems when some of the entertainers were taking exams. Kerwick stalled with the game “Lip Sync For Your Life,” in which an individual is put on the spot to perform a song that was randomly chosen by the DJ. The first victim of this game was Beyatte.
“I literally had like 3 minutes’ notice,” he said.
At drag shows, it is common for the performers to accept donations while on stage, Kerwick announced to the crowd. The overall feedback from the audience was extremely positive.
“These shows are so celebratory,” Kerwick said. “Even if you’re not LGBT, you still have a blast here.”