GSA brings drag show Wednesday for pride week

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Laughter rocked Plachta Auditorium Wednesday night as students crowded in to watch drag queens strut their stuff.

Within the first five minutes of the doors opening for the 5th Annual Drag Show, the auditorium was nearly packed with about 1,300 people. A part of Pride Week put on by the Gay Straight Alliance, the show had no limits — from foul language and 4/20 jokes to ultra-sexy dances.

And no audience member, straight or gay, male or female — but especially male — was safe from the sharp-tongued host Sabin. She walked the aisles searching for the next participant of her act, willing or not.

“The reason I called out the straight people is because walking through those doors is the biggest complement you can give us and others in the gay and lesbian communities,” Sabin said.

Pride co-chairwoman Stasi Russell said she was happy to see the beyond funny queens return to CMU for another year.

“Pride is about being proud of who you are,” the Hartland 2nd degree earner said. “That’s what a queen does.”

Alex Barill was one of Sabin’s targets. The Grosse Ile freshman caught the eye of the drag queen, who was highly disappointed to learn Barill’s sexual orientation.

“She seemed disappointed that I was straight,” Barill said. “It is not what I was expecting at all — in a good way. I’m really glad I came.”

Barill was not the only audience member heckled by the diva.

Sabin enjoyed making attendees talk about everything, such as when they lost their virginity and the possibility of them coming back stage with her after the show.

One male attendee kissed Sabin on stage.

Clarkston senior Ana Allingham dances on stage with Drag Queen Delicious during Pride Week's Drag Show Wednesday in Warriner Hall's Plachta Auditorium. Delicious, also known as Chocolate Thunder, went out in to the audience and gave several people lap-dances. (Jeff Smith/Staff Photographer)

“It takes a real big man to get up here and play my games,” Sabin told the audience to thunderous applause.

In between Sabin’s hilarious charades, she and her fellow queens — Eva, Cheetah Jameson, and Delicious — performed seductive and impressive dance routines to songs including Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the U.S.A.” and the Black Eyed Peas’ “Imma Be.”

The drag queens looked like nothing shy of pure royalty as they worked the stage in stilettos, dresses, jewelry and full make-up. Members of the audience stood by the side of the stage with dollars in their hands, and sometimes mouths, to show the queens their approval.

Amid all the fun, things turned serious when Sabin emotionally told audiences the story of the struggles she faced.

The 27-year-old drag queen said she almost did not make it past 19 because of depression after an injury ruined her dance career.

Sabin told the crowd that it was due to the love she received while performing at Central Michigan University that she is still here today and loving what she’s doing.

“We stand up here and dance and joke, but it’s not just a dress — sometimes it means something more to people,” Sabin said. “It’s because of people like you I’m still here.”