The entire audience stood, clapping in synchrony as the performer strutted across the stage. Guests were encouraged to join in, with each clap adding to a sense of community among the crowd.
An all-embracing, gospel-service ambience surrounded Webster University’s Winnie Moore Auditorium as drag queen Ming Lee held the gaze of audience members eagerly awaiting her next move.
“A Really Gay Drag Show,” Webster’s LGBTQ+ Alliance’s first drag ball since the pandemic, took place April 17. The ball was previously hosted for 20 years prior to 2020; and after three years without a drag ball on campus, many in the audience got to experience their first show featuring different artists, styles and inspirations.
“Everyone in the show was trans or gender non-conforming,” drag artist and event host Maxi Glamour said. “We had a drag king, a black trans woman, an Asian drag person and then myself as the host. It showed the plurality of queer art.”
The hit reality show, “Rupaul’s Drag Race,” one of the most well-known portrayals of drag, has still only featured a small portion of the drag community. It lacks drag kings and has had a controversial history with its treatment and discussion of transgender artists.
“On ‘Drag Race,’ they’ve come a long way, but in the past they didn’t have the love and respect for trans women,” audience member Deven Yeary said. “Trans women are very important figures in the community and they didn’t really show that in the first couple of seasons.”
However, the issue isn’t just one found on reality television. Instead, it reflects a widespread comprehension of what drag “should” or “shouldn’t” be.
“Our drag scene is dominated by this pageantry system in which if you weren’t born male, and you’re not presenting as a passable female, your drag isn’t considered legitimate by a lot of venues and producers,” Glamour said.
Glamour, who booked all the performing drag artists, made a point to select those who reflect the true variety of the art. Not only were the artists of different identities, but the manner in which they performed took different styles, too.
“Drag is not one thing, one monolith,” Yeary said. “Even Vincent [Vandall]’s performances were very different in the two that he did. There was one that was ‘punk and sexy’ and then the next one was kind of folklore-esque, like very Bard- and DnD-coded.”
The ball also gave Webster students the chance to perform for the first time, such as Alliance president Caroline Bush and audience member Carrigan Ring, who went by Calico during their routine.
“I was honestly very nervous because it was my first one, so I was really overwhelmed with how much I got reciprocated against,” Bush said. “But I think, personally, just having the costume and what I felt comfortable using made it all a little bit easier to deal with. It made sure everything was going smooth and planned.”
There were approximately 40 people in the audience, most of whom were students.
“A lot of them [students], who haven’t seen drag before are like, ‘Holy shit, I could do that! I want to do that!’” Glamour said. “A couple days ago, I heard a person say, ‘I think I really want to do drag now,’ and it was really cool to see the birth of what might be their new career.”
Yet, as drag falls into the crossroads of liberation and restriction as an art form and commentary upon social movements, Glamour hopes that students took more home with them than just fun memories.
“I hope that they have a desire to keep it and to fight for drag and queer rights, because I think that they’re interconnected and if we don’t fight for anything, we’re going to lose it,” Glamour said. “… I just kind of hope they get energized and be like, ‘Hey, I saw a drag show! I should make sure drag is legal in my state.’”
The turnout, which included more than a dozen cheering freshmen, brings hope that there will be many more drag balls to come.
“I think [it’s important] to bring back a lot of that culture that we missed so much over the years and to have a sense of performance that wasn’t through the Conservatory,” Bush said.
Yeary echoes the sentiment.
“It was nice, not only to see AMAB (assigned male at birth) people doing drag, but also AFAB (assigned female at birth) people doing drag,” Yeary said. “There are lots of drag kings, drag queens and drag in-betweens.”