Annual drag show features professional and student drag queens
When Queen Sabin first performed seven years ago at Central Michigan University, the show was held in a small cafeteria, and she was met with boycotting faculty members.
On Wednesday, Sabin was greeted with a packed Plachta Auditorium and a standing ovation at the annual drag show.
Starting out the show, she warned the audience that she was like a "live action version of Cards Against Humanity."
The show started off with introductions and crowd participation. Sabin asked questions and told jokes, and in return the audience could ask her whatever they wanted.
Sabin began the performances with a dance number, sporting her own hand-made costumes. Students went up to the stage to give the performers money.
The other performers included Eva Angelica, Nevaya, Donnatella and Minnie Woodward. Two of the performers were students who attend CMU.
"I started doing drag the day after I got out of high school," Angelica said. "I'm transgender and it was really my first outlet for it. No one in my high school was gay or trans or anything. It's important for people to know that they are never alone and no matter how down you are there is always someone out there who knows what you're going through. I've been entertaining for 10 years now and it's always fun to do shows like these."
The performances came in many flavors, from twerking to cartwheels. The performers all wore an ensemble with glitter and some had layers to their costumes or wigs.
The show also included an impromptu "twerk-off" where students volunteered from the crowd to go on stage and show their best twerking skills. One student stripped down to his underwear.
"It's my third year seeing the drag show," said senior and international student Daria Ponomareva. "Sabin is obviously my favorite. She doesn't hold back at all. The drag show is always a good time and I'm glad they do it during LGBTQ week."
The show is put on every year by LGBTQ Services. They also put on Drag Queen bingo in the fall, said Director of LGBTQ Services Shannon Jolliff-Dettore.
"The Drag Shows started before I was director but I knew the legacy of Sabin had to go on," she said. "I would never choose a different queen to host the show. I saw him perform at a bar and he talked about how drag kind of saved his life. It changed my outlook on my life and gave me courage to come out."
Upon entering the show, the ushers were handing out flyers discussing the differences between drag queens and trans people to educate students during LGBTQ week.
Sabin performed three numbers, one of which she did the splits and a one-handed cartwheel, even though she has a plastic knee. She started out as a dance performer and has been to 29 states and three countries, performing for about 11 years.
At the end of the show, Sabin highlighted the importance of Pride Week.
"Even with all of our differences we're still just people," Sabin said. "Doing the shows is almost an education process, really. It's important that people know that just because we express ourselves differently doesn't mean we aren't just human beings."
