By Angelique D’Alessandro
Staff Writer
On Sunday, Dec. 3, the Rainbow Alliance club partnered with the Student Government Organization (SGA) and Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity to host the first campus drag show, entitled “Drag Me to Heaven.” The show, which took place in the Tilles Atrium, was hosted by professional drag queen Benjamin Berry, who goes by drag name “Flolita,” and included performers both from LIU Post and from around Long Island.
The event began with a “first look” at the eight drag queens and two drag kings participating. The queens were dressed in a variety of artistic costumes, paired with wigs, sky-scraper heels, and full faces of makeup. The kings wore jackets and slicked back hair, matched with drawn-on beards and mustaches.
“All the girls [performing] are so uplifting, and I feel like I have eight new sisters and two new brothers now,” Michael Decristofaro, a freshman photography major who performed in the show said. “It was a charity event and it’s so nice to give back and have so much fun doing it.” The $500 collected from the event will be donated to the LGBT Center of NYC.
Audience members, who numbered around 50, applauded as the performers began the “lip-sync” segment of the show. The kings and queens performed to popular songs such as “Creep” by Radiohead and “Proud Mary” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Paris, a junior musical theatre major, wowed the crowd by “vogueing” during their segment, demonstrating an important part of drag culture.
After deliberation from judges, Paris was crowned the winner of the first LIU Post drag show.“[It was] an extremely successful event, especially because for many of these queens and kings, it’s their first time ever performing, and it was an incredible opportunity for the members of the LGBTQ community to celebrate at an event that is theirs and that’s big and is also open,” Logan Dewitt, a senior musical theatre major and one of the judges, said. “It’s a great chance for people who are not in the community to come in and see a little bit of our world.”
Adam Silverstein, a sophomore social work major and member of SGA enjoyed the show. “These people let their spirits shine in such great ways, and I think it is a really beautiful display of expression and being proud of who they are, and getting us all to be proud of who we are.”
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