There was glitter. There was confetti. And there were drag queens and kings.
SMU Spectrum, SMU’s only undergraduate LGBT organization, and First Six Weeks Committee came together to throw the jazziest “Drag Bingo” SMU community could ever expect.
Drag Bingo was both a recruiting and an entertainment event. Six rounds of Bingo were played and a total of eight drag kings and queens performed at the show.
Drag artists from SMU and the Dallas area, including Rose Room and Sue Ellen’s, entertained an audience of approximately 300 people, with people of all ages.
Joe Hoselton, director of graduation admissions at SMU Meadows School of the Arts, opened the show, singing Bohemian Rhapsody in the Ballroom in Hughes-Trigg Student Center.
Hoselton, aka Jenna, has been an ALLIES member for faculty, staff and students for about 12 years.
Hoselton has been mentoring student leadership to put together events that bring GLBT initiatives to the front end, and be exciting at the same time.
Seeing the large turnout at Drag Bingo, Hoselton said, “This has been the biggest event that we’ve done so far.”
Oscar Cetina, president of Sigma Lamba Beta, a multicultural fraternity, said, “I think it speaks a lot about how people are growing more aware and allowing themselves to get out of their comfort zone and come to events like this.”
Sammy Partida, a women’s and gender studies, and anthropology major at SMU, also performed in the show. Partida, a Spectrum member, identifies himself as queer.
Flaunting his silver jewelry and flipping his long, luscious, purple wig, Partida, or Artemis Rose, said being a drag queen helps him connect more with people.
“Being with LGBT members and all the queer folk, and building that community and getting that camaraderie is part of what I love being a drag queen the most,” he said.
Christine Vasily, junior, said watching the drag queens was “ a lot of fun” and made her feel “even more feminine.”
“When I was watching them (drag performers) on stage, I felt liberated,” Vasily said. “I have always been a ‘a girly girl’ but I was like… ‘You know what that’s who I am and I am proud of it.’”
One of the main reasons behind organizing Drag Bingo was to introduce Spectrum to new students.
“First six weeks are the most vulnerable times in a new college student’s life, so Drag Bingo was just a way to make sure people are engaged in some fun, positive activity,” Shelbi Smith, co-president of Specturm, said.
“When I came to SMU, I thought I was going to find myself stuck in a really homophobic environment… But then I found Spectrum and found a home at SMU,” Smith added.
“Spectrum provides a safe space for anyone who needs one,” she said.
Basing on conjecture of the audience, Drag Bingo was a successful event,
and audience members left Drag Bingo feeling energized.
