Xavier students enjoy performances from five regional drag performers

By Joseph Hammann, Guest Writer

Last Thursday, Xavier’s LGBTQ+ Alliance held their 7th Annual Drag Show in the Arrupe Overlook featuring five regional drag performers, including RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Trinity K. Bonet.

Tips and donations that were collected at the event will be donated towards Transform Cincinnati, a non-profit organization that provides gender affirming clothing to transgender and gender nonconforming youth in the surrounding area.

Cincinnati drag queen Jessica Dimon emceed the event, beginning with a message expressing that drag shows are just as much an opportunity to inform the audience as they are entertaining. 

“Drag has saved many lives for performers everywhere,” Dimon said, yelling out to the crowd before beginning her performance.

Following Dimon’s opening performance, students saw performances from drag performers Lexi Love, Johnny Justice, Amaya Sexton and Trinity K. Bonet, who all performed for Xavier’s audience with elaborate outfits, lip syncing to popular songs and elaborate dances.

Some performers followed the event’s black and white theme, while others exploded with bright colors with their outfit choices.

Many of the outfits were inspired by characters and pieces of media such as Toy Story, Wednesday Addams, The Boys, The Nightmare Before Christmas and many more.Songs from artists such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Paramore and Dua Lipa were the performers’ soundtrack for the night.

As the night continued, students became increasingly engaged and cheered loudly for each of the performers.

After finishing her performance to Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary,” Amaya Sexton, a drag queen from Dayton, Ohio, thanked the cheering students for their excitement.

“Y’all made me feel like I was really Lady Gaga,” she said.

Additionally, after each of  their first performances, they took a brief intermission to bring a select few students up on stage. First, three duos were selected to perform an act on the stage while lip syncing to songs in typical RuPaul’s Drag Race fashion. Then, two other students competed in a runway walk competition. The winners of each competition were decided by the amount of money students gave them during each of their performances.

After the intermission, each of the drag performers performed their final act, and they ended the night allowing students to get pictures with all the drag performers on stage. 

Reflecting on the event, sophomore Levi Davidson felt the atmosphere of the drag show was freeing.

“It was really fun to be around in a place where everyone around you is an ally and you don’t have to feel self-conscious,” Davidson said.

Additionally, the LGBTQ+ Alliance executive board was delighted by the results of the show. 

“It went well. It was all very smooth. The black and white theme was an amazing addition for this year. It was nice working with different performers regionally and from RuPaul, as well as the happiness we felt from the donated money towards Transform Cincy,” sophomore LGBTQ+ Alliance Events Coordinator Georgia Larive said.

Junior LGBTQ+ Alliance Vice President Mia Karlsson also expressed gratitude to those who came to the event and those who contributed to its success.

“We were grateful for both the performers and those who came in attendance. We couldn’t have done it without them and we hope to do this again for years to come,” Karlsson said. 

The LGBTQ+ Alliance hopes to continue this event in the years to come as both an entertaining performance and an opportunity to engage students with a hallmark of LGBTQ+ culture.