By Giulia Gutzwiller, Staff Writer

Cincinnati Pride held its annual Pride Night event at Kings Island last Friday. Many Xavier students had the opportunity to experience performances from established drag queens Sasha Colby and Kylie Sonique Love.

The Office of Student Involvement provided buses to take students to and from the event. Students watched the drag shows, explored the park and went on rides with no lines.

DJ Boywife’s setlist blared as bright rainbow lights shined into the crowds that filled the amusement park. The drag show began at 7 p.m. with Ravyn Valentino, a Cincinnati-based drag queen. Following her performance was Penny Tration, a Cincinnati native who appeared in the fifth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. In addition to performing, Penny Tration also was the host of the event. Her jokes and attempts at using appropriate language kept the audience laughing.

First-year student Abby Knox enjoyed the atmosphere while attending her first drag show. “Everyone’s really happy and it’s really inclusive with everyone always smiling at each other,” Knox said.

Cincinnati drag king Jayy Rogerz performed an upbeat dance routine to a Bruno Mars medley in a sparkly outfit. 

One of the more well-known performers featured in the show was Sasha Colby, who won season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. A huge crowd formed in front of the stage as Penny Tration announced her name. She came out on stage and lip-synced to Céline Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now.” During her performance, she pretended to light a dollar bill like a cigarette and fell to the ground. 

Another well-known performer was Kylie Sonique Love, who was a contestant in season two of RuPaul’s Drag Race and was the season six winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. She performed a lip-sync and dance routine to a Gwen Stefani medley while dressed exactly like the No Doubt star.

Other artists at the show included Cincinnati-based drag performers P. H. Dee, Chastity Marie, Jessica Dimon, Kora Sline, Manuka Honey Stix-Chimera and contestant on season six of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Trinity K. Bonet.

“All of (the drag queens) had different vibes and different music, and they all even danced in different ways, which I thought was cool,” first-year student Kayleb Blanton said.

 Blanton appreciated what local drag shows and their supportive community mean to queer youth. “It’s really cool as a queer person who was raised with no queer people around me to see that I’m not the only one,” Blanton said. “Trying to stand out isn’t to get other people’s attention, but to be more true to yourself.”