Iridescence: USC Drag Culture and Queer Visibility on Campus
Talia Walters ‘20
Every year, USC, through a long list of student associations on campus including the Queer and Ally Student Assembly (Facebook, Instagram), puts on its own drag show with local (read: student) performers. And thus, in my determination to become more acquainted with USC’s queer communities, I decided to attend the show.
What Is Drag?
For those of you who don’t know what drag culture is: first, where have you been for the last ten seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race and second, it’s a long-practiced tradition of individuals dressing and “performing” gender usually in a way that doesn’t conform to the way they identify. It’s coupled with theatrical musical performances, dance numbers, lip-syncing, and a lot of corsets.
Drag culture and drag shows are often connected to queer spaces and queer individuals; however, performers don’t need to be a part of the queer community. The connection between queerness and drag culture comes more from performing gender in a specific way rather than the actual sexualities and identities of the performers themselves. That being said, a large number of drag performers are also a part of the LGBT community.
This year’s USC drag show was the ninth annual performance, and it’s theme was iridescence. The show has a history of exciting themes and over the top performances, like the 8th show Descent Into the Apocalypse and the 4th show Drag to the Future. Presented in the TCC Ballroom, the performance was set up for hundreds of audience members, and by the time I had arrived, many of the seats were already filled.
Considering this was not only my first USC drag show but also my first drag show in general, I had no real idea as to what to expect. I knew it was going to be really cool, but let me tell you – it blew me away.
As you read on, you’ll see that I’ve included footage from the night below. Please excuse my terrible phone-filming and video-editing; I’m truly a 40-year-old mom at heart and forgot to turn the phone sideways for all of the performances, and I’m using Windows Video Editor because I’m legit.
The Judges
The show started by introducing the judges. I knew they were big names, but I don’t think I fully understood just how important these figures are to the drag community. The 500+ person audience erupted in applause and shouting and cheering as Shangela, a Ru Paul Drag Race Star and actress in Glee and A Star is Born, took the stage. Her stage presence is impeccable – her existence is performance and she is damn good at it.
But I’ll speak a little more at length about her later.
She introduced her co-judges, fashion designer and publicist Dillon Powell and performer and choreographer Jayla Roxx, and then the fashion show began. Each person was announced individually, and they came out, took the stage, and walked through the audience in their elaborate outfits. Each performer had a stage name and persona, a whole backstory, a personality and a specific look that all came together to create the queen.
The Performers
The amount of effort that was put into each queen and king was admirable. I think the most amazing part is that you couldn’t even tell they were stage personas – there was a complete separation of the performer from the persona, and each queen and king felt like someone I’d see in class the next day. That’s some good character development.
The first few performances set the bar high. There were quick changes and theatrical glove reveals and vine references set to pop music. Some of those queens were dancing faster than I could in heels higher than I own, and that’s a true art form. Even in the face of wigs flying off at inopportune times, the show went on. Each person chose their own music and their own outfits, so each performance was uniquely their own. The show had a little bit of something for everyone.
I think one of the more interesting aspects of the show was the introduction of drag kings. I must admit that, even though the show was just a “drag show”, I was really only expecting queens. My own knowledge of the drag king culture is very limited, and I feel like very few people forget this other side to drag. RuPaul’s Drag Race, the show that thrusted drag culture into the mainstream media, has never even had a drag king compete. I think there’s an interesting statement in the traditionally female-identifying aspects of drag culture being pushed to the side in favor of male-dominated drag queens, but that’s not what this post is about.
On another note, the two queens above directed and coordinated the entire show. Lux Fera performed for the first time in this show, leaving it all on the stage (literally her bags and clothes were everywhere). Angel Dust, however, is USC’s self-described OG residential queen and has been performing for a while. Obviously the stand out of the night, with 8 back up dancers and a whole theme, Angel Dust knows what she’s doing. Check out her Facebook page for the whole performance – my video can’t encompass just how amazing she was – and throw her some support as she auditions for the next season of RuPaul’s Drag Race!
I’d like to just thank both performers for putting on such an amazing show for the community.
For the majority of the queens, it was their first performance. Yet, for each performer, they looked at home on stage, taking the spotlight and running with it. The audience, as I’m sure you’ve heard in the videos, was blown away by every single set, which alone speaks to the talents of the performers. I think, though, more importantly than the talent or the practice or the effort was the passion behind each performance. We were so enthralled with the performances because each performer cared so deeply about what they were doing – drag is art. USC giving every student the ability to artistically express themselves for their peers is admirable.
And then, it happened. Shangela performed.
I understood after that. I completely got it. She had energy, she had power, she had presence, she had it all. To be honest, I can’t put into words the STUNNING performance that she put on for USC, so you’ll have to just watch the parts that I filmed yourself, and I would absolutely recommend watching her seasons of RuPaul. *Spoiler Alert* She was robbed.
The Importance of Queer Visibility
While it was a beautiful performance by all, I wanted to pull attention to performances like those by Amphibeyonce and Robert Morgans whose focus was on a generalized theme: celebrating queerness. Many performers took this opportunity on stage to celebrate their individuality and their sexuality, which is something that few people have the opportunity to do.
At the end of the show, Shangela gave a heartwarming speech about how lucky we as a community are to have a space like the USC drag show. So many other places in the world don’t have the same sorts of spaces – ones that protect and project queer bodies and voices. She said that people often come up to her as she travels the world thanking her because she’s doing what people in their home countries aren’t allowed to do. Her performance is an experience that is once-in-a-lifetime for many queer individuals all over the world because those spaces can’t and won’t exist in other places.
Over 700,000 people in America have been subjected to conversion therapy and 300,000 were under the age of 12. Dozens of queer individuals have been arrested on “debauchery” charges in Egypt and are being subjected to prison and harassment due to a crackdown following the pride flag flying for only 5 mins in September 2017. There’s been no outcry. Queer individuals in Chechnya are STILL being detained, tortured, and murdered despite the news about these camps leaking a year ago. There was an investigative committee yet nothing has changed and this has not stopped. 72 countries still have laws against homosexuality and in 11 it’s punishable by death. Iran, Saudia Arabia, Iraq, and Somalia all have recently used the death penalty against queer individuals
Queer visibility is important. Queer spaces are important. Queer communities are important.
The truth of it all is that queer bodies exist, and they aren’t going anywhere, so the best that we can do (as either queer bodies ourselves or as allies) is make those bodies visible.
While I sat there, watching these performers leave their all on the stage and hearing the cheers of the supportive audience, my heart swelled with the love of a community I hadn’t known existed at USC. I know it sounds dramatic, but I can promise that I almost cried as Lil Kim’s “How Many Licks” played in the background, and I am mostly unashamed. I was surrounded by a group of people who cared so much about queer spaces that they didn’t care about the characteristics that separated us. I wasn’t even performing, and the energy in the room deeply affected me. I can’t imagine what it’s like to actually perform in that space.
This is why we do what we do. The support system that comes with it can be new and unfamiliar to so many people, especially because USC brings in students from so many different places and backgrounds, including places and backgrounds that may be hostile to queer bodies. USC’s support of a space like the drag show or any other QuASA-sponsored events gives their students a place they may have never had before to finally feel like themselves. And that’s the importance of queer visibility.
And in the slightly-paraphrased-but-still-just-as-wonderous words of Shangela Laquifa Wadley:
There
is a space, and a home, for everyone.
Want more from Trojans 360?
Visit Trojans 360 on Facebook & Twitter to stay up to date with more student content!
You can also Ask A Trojan an anonymous question, and we’ll try to answer it in a future post!
And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
Trojans 360 is USC’s official student-run blog. Content created by students, for students.
