Annual 'Don't be a Drag, Just be a Queen' draws largest audience in event's history
In celebration of LGBTQ month, Central Michigan University's Office of LGBTQ services held its annual event, "Don’t be a Drag, Just a Queen," Oct. 10 in Plachta Auditorium.
For the first time, the event opened with a panel discussing femme issues -- both on campus and in society. The panel was followed by the night's entertainment: a drag show featuring local Drag Queen Sabin.
Panelists included Director of the office of LGBTQ services Shannon Jolliff-Dettore, CMU alumnus Justin Toliver and Sabin. An enthusiastic audience packed Plachta Auditorium well before the panel started and Tolliver said the crowd was the best audience the event has drawn.
“This is the LGBTQ office's most attended event every year,” Toliver said, “While I love the enthusiasm that was present tonight, we need more people to attend the strictly educational events."
They also said an educational event, Safe Zone training, will take place at noon Oct. 12 in the Bovee University Center.
Jolliff-Dettorre kicked off panel discussion by talking about what it means to have an identity society deems unorthodox. Panelists discussed dealing with violence or harassment from others, losing friends and family members and gaining confidence in one's identity.
“I think today, visibility is the biggest thing for the LGBTQ community,” Jolliff-Dettore said, “It’s about providing people a voice and allowing them to be heard.”
Toliver and Sabin added background on LGBTQ history by discussing the Stonewall Inn riot in 1969 in New York City. LGBTQ bars at the time were strictly prohibited, but the NYPD and New York mobsters collaborated to keep certain LGBTQ bars open if the business maintained profits.
Police intervened at the Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969. Patrons resisted and forced police to leave the area. Only a few arrests were made, marking one of the LGBTQ community's first victories.
Toliver brought up the Stonewall Inn riots to affirm the idea that any LGBTQ event or environment can spark a movement within communities.
“One of the reasons we added a panel this year was because this is the most attended event for LGBTQ services at CMU,” Toliver said, “We had to question what this event means to everyone who attends and we decided to provide education on femme issues. We want to challenge people to be more aware.”
After the hour-long panel, Sabin took the stage.
Drag Queen Delicious performs in the Don't Be a Drag Be a Queen show on Oct. 10 in Platcha Auditorium.
Sabin stole the show with their lively moxie and humorous banter. Four other performers followed, each receiving cheers from the audience. Due to the audience's energy, the performances were allowed to last past the event's designated ending time.
Students lined up for pictures with all the performers after the show. Farmington Hills junior Natalie Rollinger said it was her first time attending a drag show where she had more fun than anticipated.
“I came to 'Don’t be a Drag, Just be a Queen' because I wanted to support my LGBTQ friends,” Rollinger said, “My expectations were blown away. I was either laughing with my friends or listening intently on the discussion the entire time.”
