As the lights dim in Price Center Theater, a spotlight appears and moves over three resplendent faces. Their golden, glimmering dresses catch the attention of the audience and illuminate everything from their red lips to their sassy satin gloves. “”Dreamgirls”” comes belting through the speakers and they begin to move rhythmically to the music – it is hard to imagine that anything more glamorous that has ever graced UCSD. No, the three high-heeled singers swaying gracefully on-stage are not Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Hudson and Anika Noni Rose, stars of the holiday blockbuster. They are the opening act to the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning Intersex Association “”Divas in Denial XII”” drag show.
Top: Aris Quion, calling himself “”Paris,”” sings on-stage. Quion usually performs at the venue Lips Restaurant.
In addition to LGBT Resource Center staff members, performers for the drag show ranged from members of the UCSD community to the San Diego Kings Club, a troupe of drag kings. Along with performing for the event, LGBTQIA principle members Bryce Woolley, Red Galuara, Kate Perry, John Kim and Kade Brittain were responsible for the organization and execution of this colorful program.
“”What’s great about [the show] is it consolidates people under an empowering circle,”” Brittain said. “”Usually queer men and women are a taboo thing, but ‘Divas in Denial’ is a way to reject that idea. I don’t know if you’ve ever been around a drag queen, but they don’t like being ignored.””
Indeed, they do not. Brittain’s saucy rendition of Queen Latifah’s “”You Be Good to Mama”” proved his own demands for attention. His flowing red dress, faux double Ds and black and red curly weave were not the only things grabbing the audience’s attention. Brittain, quite frankly, shook what his mama didn’t give him, owning the stage with an empowering sense of confidence. Through the seductive cabaret beat of the song, the audience hung on every movement of his body, cheering and clapping up until the very last note.
“”In the show, we deal with a lot of gender and sexual identity issues,”” Brittain said. “”We dress the opposite of what gender we usually identify with. When we do that, we push ourselves outside a stereotypical zone and give others a license to do the same.””
Gender roles were challenged throughout the night, most notably in an act performed by graduate students Frankie O’Connor and Jan Stucke.
The two entered the stage dressed in full business suits, dancing to Britney Spears’ “”Me Against the Music.”” They even displayed a chemistry that most on-stage couples lack. After several minutes, the first song suddenly cut, and the tune to Madonna’s “”Human Nature”” filled the auditorium with a slow and sexy beat as fluorescent red light fills the stage. Both O’Connor and Stucke undressed to booty shorts, black boots and low-cut tops as they moved with a steamy sexuality, using a short black whip as a domineering prop.
“”Our performance is really a statement against what lesbian drag is supposed to look like,”” Stucke said. “”Kings are usually supposed to be in suits or menswear and have no real sexuality about them, which is the complete opposite from the lesbian community. I think even if you are butch, it’s important to express your sexuality.””
The long list of other acts ranged from moving power ballads to racy Janet Jackson compilations, all giving different perspectives on what “”drag”” means to each individual performer. Despite minor production hiccups, the encompassing theme of the night was a subtle yet pronounced message – wrapped in sequined dresses and feather boas – about gender and its fluidity that the LGBTQIA hoped would impact attendees.
“”The show really gets people to think about gender and the way it’s performed,”” Woolley said. “”Once people understand gender as a fluid process, it helps to undermine ideologies of sexism, homophobia and transphobia. But mainly, this show is just for people to have fun.””
