Drag Queen Bingo
Drag Queen Sabin kicked off "Coming Out Week" by leading students in a night of bingo and drag performance in the Bovee University Center Auditorium.
The event was coordinated by the Office of LGBTQ Services, which have had Sabin host the event for the past few years on campus.
“I appreciate the atmosphere and opportunity for students to be able to come and laugh and be who they are and be proud of who they are,” said Shannon Jolliff, Director of LGBTQ services. “If you’re coming to a show with Sabin, be prepared to be picked on, but know that it comes from a great place of love, and that you’re surrounded by such a positive environment of people.”
Arriving fashionably late, Sabin entered the auditorium in full drag and immediately engaged the crowd. After a brief warning of how the night might get risqué, the bingo began.
“This ain’t your grandma’s bingo,” the drag queen explained.
Attendees marked off numbers on their bingo cards. Winners got the chance to introduce themselves before getting read by the drag queen. This usually involved being asked your name, major and sexuality before having Sabin make fun of all three. The majority of the attendees played along with Sabin’s antics, recognizing the humor behind it.
This was the first drag performance for some in the audience, including Burton freshman Brooke Wilcox.
“I didn’t expect it to be this crazy - I love it,” Wilcox said, noting she wouldn’t have found the opportunity to attend a drag show outside of college.
Sabin also opened up the floor to anything students wanted to ask her, usually coming back with retort full of attitude. The dialogues were broken up with choreographed dance and lip sync performances complete with elaborate costume changes.
In addition to the humor and dancing, Sabin delivered personal motivational anecdotes about her performing career, specifically when she received a standing ovation at Central a few years ago.
“You made me remember why I love to perform,” Sabin said of an early drag performances at CMU, “It wasn’t for anything that I’ve ever completed in my life, it wasn’t for any accomplishment that I’ve ever made. It was strictly that you appreciated what I did that time.”
Though geared toward the LGBTQ community, "Drag Queen Bingo" also attracts allies and straight people. This is because of the performance aspect, and the fun interactive atmosphere it creates.
Before leaving the auditorium of cheering students, Sabin closed by saying, “In this crazy-ass world there’s only one thing you can do: Take care of yourselves and each other. Goodnight and God bless.”
