Last Thursday night, all it took to be considered royal was a little bit of glitter, a dress and heels, or a fake beard and tie. After months of planning, Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) held its first ever drag party entitled “Don’t be a drag, just be a king,” in the Tuscan Ballroom of the School of Hospitality.
The party was meant as an opportunity for students to dress in their best impression of the opposite sex, enjoy performances by fellow drag kings and queens and to enjoy themselves in a fun party setting. Not everyone braved the drag look, but almost all of the near 200 guests found themselves on the dance floor at one point or another.
The night’s agenda started off with performances by sophomore Keegan Kienzle and senior Ryan Schultz, who were both dressed in drag costumes – Kienzle kept it classy in a flowing black dress and boa, while Schultz lit up the room in a bright orange dress and blonde wig. Schultz lip-synced and cranked out some dance moves to “When You’re Good To Mama” from Chicago, as well as “Too Darn Hot” by Ella Fitzgerald, while Kienzle sang his own version of “I Am What I Am” from the musical La Cage Aux Folles.
“I’ve always known that I wanted to try drag out at least once because it’s always seemed to be such a fun, energetic thing,” said Kienzle, an international studies major from Whittier, Calif. “I definitely was also nervous though. It was nerve-wracking enough to be completely switching genders for a night but also to have a performance to do kept me on edge for most of the night.”
Despite their nerves, the crowd went wild in support for both performers.
“As far as I can see I think the overall reaction of the crowd was a very supportive, positive one,” said Kienzle. It appeared to me that everyone had a great time, which is what the whole night was about.”
Soon all of those who dressed in drag were called to the stage for the Drag King and Queen competition. Winners were chosen based on who got the loudest cheers. Freshman James Johnston was crowned Queen, while junior Loriann Hinojosa was crowned King.
But the competition wasn’t over yet. An array of friendly dance offs led the night to a close, including the ever-popular “twerk-off,” in which first year hospitality major Alejandro Garcia’s bold and downright sexy dance moves claimed the fame.
The night’s music was well received, and ranged from 90’s classics to Nikki Minaj and Macklemore.
“The event went amazingly well,” said QSA secretary Marin Klostermeier, a sophomore psychology major from St. Louis, Miss. “We hadn’t done anything like this before so we didn’t know how well it would turn out. We hit some rough patches along the way, but everything turned out really well.”
The club originally planned on having professional drag queens perform at the event, but weren’t able to get all of the details worked out.
“With all events that you plan on campus, if you bring in a third party, you have to get a contract signed and have very specific interaction for them to come,” said Klostermeier.
According to Klostermeier, the event still held true to its original purpose – to bring people who support the queer community together in a fun, social setting and to show everyone how many like-minded people there are at DU.
“It was really a group effort,” said Klostermeier. “Everyone who came was really supportive and seemed to have a good time. We definitely hope to do it again next year.”
“Overall I think the party was an amazing success,” said Kienzle. “I think it was a really special opportunity for people who don’t consider themselves to be part of the LGBT community to interact with the community and have some fun while at the same time meeting new people, and dancing to some great music.”
QSA also hoped to raise awareness about their organization and gain new members through the party. Anyone interested in joining can attend QSA’s meetings in the Driscoll Commerce Room behind Jazzman’s Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
