By BRIANA SPINA
News Editor
and
KATE PIERCE
Executive Editor
St. Joseph’s Hall underwent a glamorous transformation for Identity’s annual Drag Show. The theme this year was Mardi Gay, a play on the festival Mardi Gras. There were purple, gold, and green beads and masquerade masks on each chair, and nearly all the seats on the ground floor and the mezzanine were taken.
“This campus is really welcoming,” said Shannon Crotty, the current PR officer and incoming President of Identity. “The drag show is another way to show acceptance of the LGBTQ community.”
Drag kings called the “Backstreet Bitches” were the crowd favorite and winners of the show, closely followed by drag queen Marilyn ManHoe.
“I just feel free, almost like a new person,” said Leah Hills, a queen who came in third place following her first place win from last year’s show.
The drag show was once again hosted by queens Jaqueline Frost and Noelle Diamond, who each performed solo pieces as well as a duet light performance.
Diamond is a Saint Rose alum, having performed in drag at the show for the first time when she was a current student.
“It’s great to be able to do drag at colleges,” said Diamond. “I really appreciate that you can showcase all types of genders,” said Diamond.
Some confusion exists among audiences of drag shows about the difference between drag performers and the transgender community. Diamond clarified that performances and gender identity are not always connected in a cut and dry manner.
Speaking on her experience of starting out in college, Diamond shared some advice for novices like many of the queens and kings that performed at the drag show this year.
“Understand that you only get better,” said Diamond. Part of her routine in preparing for a show is taking three hours to apply face makeup.
To make the magic of the event happen, members of Identity started setting up at noon on Thursday, April 26. While tearing apart sheets of admission wristbands two hours before the doors opened, Jessie Yienger, secretary of Identity, talked about the smaller tasks like this that had to be done in order for the show to run smoothly.
“It sounds like busy work, but little things add up,” she said.
It’s the little details that come together to form the beloved kick off to the annual weekend “trifecta” of events at Saint Rose.
“Every year we’ve tried to do something bigger and better,” siad Alyssa Palmer, president of Identity.
Over the last three years, Palmer said that Identity has become more involved on campus and there has been more interest in participating in the club. Shannon Crotty, the current public relations officer and next semester’s president-elect, credits the open-mindedness of the Saint Rose community.
“This campus is really welcoming,” she said. “The drag show is another way to show acceptance of the LGBTQ community.”
In addition to the campus acceptance being helpful, Palmer said that the executive board this year has been dedicated in wanting to make a difference.
“Thank you for your spirit,” said Frost. “Positive energy makes us perform better.”
