Drag show expected to draw large crowd
Event moved to CSU Ballroom after outgrowing Ostrander Auditorium
by Leah Christensen
Issue date: 4/8/08
Section: Student Life
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Center is holding the Spring Gender Bender Drag Show 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Centennial Student Union Ballroom.
The drag show was once held in Ostrander Auditorium, but the performance became so popular people had to be turned away. That's when the show was moved to the ballroom, explained Kelly Biers, president of Sexual and Gender Equality and a worker at the LGBTC.
But that doesn't mean students can get away with arriving at show time. The LGBT encourages arriving at least by 7:30 p.m. in order to be ensured a seat.
Last spring was the first time the drag show was held in the ballroom, Biers said. Nine hundred people showed up for the show, lining up at the door an hour ahead of time just to get a good seat.
For those who haven't gone to Minnesota State's drag show and don't know what to expect, Biers said there will be many dance numbers. Some of the performers lip sync while others sing, and the emcee keeps the audience involved.
"Last year one of the drag queens mocked Britney Spears, which was well received," said Brad Freihoefer, vice president of SAGE and a volunteer worker at the LGBTC.
The performers include MSU students, community memblers and professionals who've come from the Twin Cities as volunteers, Biers said. Many of the drag queens and kings work at Gay Nineties or other places in the Twin Cities. Because most of the performers are volunteers, Biers said tips are encouraged.
The Gender Bender has been a staple at MSU for many years, and has always stood for what Freihoefer described as "a celebration of gender in all its forms."
"It's a way for people to express gender in nonconventional means," Biers said. "It's pushing gender to the extremes."
Freihoefer said it is important for everyone to understand the variations of gender and that everyone is on different sides of the gender scale. The drag show accomplishes this in a fun and entertaining way, he said.
Leah Christensen is a Reporter staff writer
The drag show was once held in Ostrander Auditorium, but the performance became so popular people had to be turned away. That's when the show was moved to the ballroom, explained Kelly Biers, president of Sexual and Gender Equality and a worker at the LGBTC.
But that doesn't mean students can get away with arriving at show time. The LGBT encourages arriving at least by 7:30 p.m. in order to be ensured a seat.
Last spring was the first time the drag show was held in the ballroom, Biers said. Nine hundred people showed up for the show, lining up at the door an hour ahead of time just to get a good seat.
For those who haven't gone to Minnesota State's drag show and don't know what to expect, Biers said there will be many dance numbers. Some of the performers lip sync while others sing, and the emcee keeps the audience involved.
"Last year one of the drag queens mocked Britney Spears, which was well received," said Brad Freihoefer, vice president of SAGE and a volunteer worker at the LGBTC.
The performers include MSU students, community memblers and professionals who've come from the Twin Cities as volunteers, Biers said. Many of the drag queens and kings work at Gay Nineties or other places in the Twin Cities. Because most of the performers are volunteers, Biers said tips are encouraged.
The Gender Bender has been a staple at MSU for many years, and has always stood for what Freihoefer described as "a celebration of gender in all its forms."
"It's a way for people to express gender in nonconventional means," Biers said. "It's pushing gender to the extremes."
Freihoefer said it is important for everyone to understand the variations of gender and that everyone is on different sides of the gender scale. The drag show accomplishes this in a fun and entertaining way, he said.
Leah Christensen is a Reporter staff writer
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