The Wright State University (WSU) Rainbow Alliance group holds its 22nd annual drag show on Saturday, April 4. Professional drag queens and WSU students shared their costumes and routines with the audience.
Scholarship opportunity
The event collected donations from attendees, who cheered the drag queens and other performers on throughout the evening.
Rainbow Alliance President Rowan Straughter discussed what the funds raised at the annual drag show are used for.
“It's a chance to raise money for a scholarship fund. Anybody is able to apply; it's just for LGBTQIA students, but anybody's able to apply for it, it's completely free. And we kind of have been doing it since before Rainbow Alliance was even a thing. This is our 22nd annual drag show. So we've been doing it for [22] years, and Rainbow Alliance has only been around since like 2017 or something like that,” Straughter said. “We're very proud of that, and it's also a great way to connect with the community.”
Rae Carson, Vice President of Rainbow Alliance, received this scholarship in the past and shared the difference it made for them.
“It means a lot, because our scholarship is something very dear to me. I'm a recipient of it, and I want as many people who are LGBT to go to school as possible, because we are a minority, and everyone deserves the same opportunity. So it was a really big honor, getting to put this on, having watched it myself and donated to it before," Carson said.
Donations and attendance all come from Rainbow Alliance’s marketing efforts, as well as the star power brought by the well-known headlining queens.
Headline performers
The headliners for this year’s event included Honey Mustard, Princess PettyCure and Queen Danicure. Each queen wore multiple outfits and performed dances to several songs throughout the evening.
“I got my start in college shows. So coming to [WSU] and being a part of the show was just, it was a no-brainer. Of course, I was gonna be here for it,” Honey Mustard said. “A lot of the shows that I do are charity-based. So I love to use performance art and help to raise money for underserved communities, which is what I do a lot in drag.”
The experienced queens discussed drag etiquette, which includes cheering loudly and using as much flash photography as possible, and got the audience engaged. Backstage, they hyped up student performers and discussed what drag means to them.
“The crowd’s great, the entertainers are amazing, the [WSU student] entertainers are just top-notch, it’s really incredible,” Queen Danicure said.
Princess Pettycure expressed that she enjoyed having an actual stage to perform on, sharing that usually, she performs at bars or in the middle of a floor. Queen Danicure, who is also Princess Pettycure’s partner in both drag and real life, agreed. The pair has been together for about 11 years. Queen Danicure started drag approximately 13 years ago, and Princess Pettycure picked it up about five years ago.
“Because of lockdown, basically. We were bored, and she was painting her face. I’m like, ‘Well, what do I do?’” Princess Pettycure said.
So, she took up drag alongside her partner. Drag is more of a hobby for both of them, though Queen Danicure has also turned her performances and artwork into a side hustle.
“I also do a lot of costume, a lot of hair on top of actually performing. So I kind of do consider it my second and third job,” Queen Danicure said.
Queen Danicure designed the hair and costumes that were worn by all three of the headlining drag queens.
Honey Mustard shared that she used to pay her rent through drag, but prefers to keep her hobbies separate from her job. Now, she works in a university, doing drag in her spare time. She shared that she gets to express a different subset of skills between her two sources of income.
“There's so many identities that everybody has and it's fun to find that intersection, so finding that intersection here at [WSU], where I get to kind of reflect on me working in a university setting, as well as doing drag and as well as be bringing back that young performer that I used to be that got started on a college stage, it's really a great thing to have,” Honey Mustard said.
Similarly, drag can serve as a way for people to step out of who they are, and put on a new persona for a while.
“Drag is just another form of self expression. It's clownery, essentially, like, you know, you're playing a character. You make your own stamp on your own face. It's just fun, a way to express yourself; and just stress relief sometimes,” Princess Pettycure said.
All three of the headliners shared personal accounts of what drag does for them in their daily lives, each discussing and defining the artform slightly differently.
“I also like, love the gender euphoria, a bit like being able to express the feminine side as a masculine person is wonderful, and drag really has allowed me to, like explore [parts] of who I am, that I never thought I could explore because of growing up in the patriarchy. So I just love the way that drag, slowly has dismantled for me, at least the view I had,” Queen Danicure said.
Honey Mustard shared wisdom for students with interest in performing drag in the future.
“Be a diva. That is my biggest advice for anything. Be a diva. Because you know who you are, and even if you don't know who you are, you know what you want to be. Don't compromise it, explore it. Have fun with it, and don't overthink and don't sweat it," Honey Mustard said.
Many WSU students took this advice to heart, dressing in unique, show-stopping costumes and dancing their hearts out on stage.
The annual drag show
Rainbow Alliance put a lot of time and effort into the planning and hosting of the event, setting it up for success with the community.
Straughter shared that there was pushback from people, concentrated on the timing of the show, which fell on an important weekend for the Christian religion.
“We ended up having to push it back two weeks, which did put us right before Easter. But thankfully, a lot of people actually do this as a family event to bring everybody together,” Straughter said.
Straughter shared that WSU’s services were helpful through the process, and Carson detailed some of what the planning process entailed.
“We start before spring semester starts. We meet about what we want it to look like. We start looking for hosts immediately, because our hosts are paid. So, Honey Mustard, Princess PettyCure and Queen Danicure, all [of them] are paid. And we were lucky enough this year to have someone reach out to us and want to host,” Carson said. “About a month before, we send out student registration, and then we help them with anything they need: makeup, costumes; e-board is always there to assist. We reach out to ODS for interpreters.”
Student registration was a success, drawing performers with a range of experience who all dressed in their best outfits and makeup looks, dancing for the cheering crowd.
Carson explained that there were requests for an intermission show for this year, so they reached out to their friend from the Buffalo Improv House in New York, who traveled to fill this need. They also collaborated with WWSU, which sent members to DJ for the event.
Straughter and Carson emphasized that collaborations with other organizations make events possible, encouraging people to come to events and join their group.
“We are always looking for people to join the community. You are always going to be welcome, especially at Rainbow Alliance. You don't have to be queer, you just have to be a good person. And we could not do it without the support of everybody here. So thank you, guys, for coming. Thanks to everybody for showing up and helping us. Thank you for interviewing me for The Guardian, like we couldn't do without you guys,” Straughter said.
View the gallery below for highlights of the annual event.
