QSU drag queens strut their stuff

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 - 2:00 AM

Performers at the Queer Student Union’s annual drag show perform on stage. The show featured performances from both professional drag queens and amateurs. Photo by Brian Bolton / Nevada Sagebrush.

The drag queens showed off in Reno, strutting across the stage in their platform boots and sequined dresses. They performed to a packed house, to music and the laughter of the crowd.

The Queer Student Union kicked off its third annual drag show Friday in the Joe Crowley Student Union Theater. The drag queens entertained with fabulous professional and amateur performances.
Jeromy Manke, president of QSU, helped organize the event along with others on the drag show committee. The drag show is an annual event that the group puts on each year, Manke said, wearing a purple dress and platform boots.

“The drag show is just pure entertainment,” Manke said. “Anyone is free to join the show or come watch. It’s for a good cause, too, as all the proceeds go towards the QSU scholarship fund.”

The first half of the show consisted of professional drag queen performances. These empresses were members of the Silver Dollar Court and Divas on the Run, nonprofit organizations that do these shows in order to raise money for charity or private causes. The second half of the show was for amateurs to be put in ranks by judges and give it their all on the stage.

“I’ve only performed twice like this,” said Evan Hill, an 18-year-old senior at Spanish Springs High School, alias Mirage, the first place winner of the amateur section. “I do it for fun and I love to perform. If you want to do it, you’ve just got to be comfortable with yourself and dive into it.”

The professionals volunteer their time to perform to raise awareness for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, Manke said.

“I’ve been doing performances for 10 years,” said Jason Goodknight, 26, of Reno. He towered over everybody else in his six-inch heels. “Personally, I do it because I can’t write a check for the people that need help. But I can do these shows and raise the money for them.”

Divas on the Run, another group that holds charity drag shows, will be hosting their 20th annual AIDS benefit on Nov. 21, at the Grand Sierra Resort, Goodknight said. Organizations like Divas on the Run and the Silver Dollar Court are dedicated to raising awareness for important causes.

“You can do these shows to have fun, too,” Goodknight said. “You don’t have to get into these shows and fall into the stereotypical gay lifestyle. It’s all about entertainment and you can have a normal life alongside the shows.”

Madison Jackson can be reached at news@nevadasagebrush.com.