The LGBTQA held its
annual drag show Sat
urday night in the EMU
Ballroom. This year's
event, "Bent,” featured
New York entertainer
Murray Hill and student
drag performances.
Nicole Barker | Photographer
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Nicole Barker | Photographer
New York entertainer Murray Hill performs dressed as Dolly Parton.
LGBTQA's annual
drag show 'bends'
gender perception
Professional entertainer Murray Hill and
more than 30 students took part in the show
BY MATTHEW HAULK
DAILY EMERALD FREELANCE REPORTER
With glitter, glam and more than a
few pink wigs, the Lesbian, Gay, Bi
sexual, TYansgender, Queer Alliance
annual drag show started out with a
bang Saturday. The show, which ran
from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., includ
ed more than 30 student performers
and Murray Hill, a professional drag
king and comedian from New York.
The theme of this year’s drag show
was “Bent.”
“Bent is all about questioning gen
der,” LGBTQA Co-Director Johnny
Correa said. "The word itself is a repre
sentation of
the way
nothing is
always as
straightfor
ward as peo
ple want to
believe it is.”
“Last
year with
‘Sizzle!,’ the
meme oi me snow was namDoy
ance,” Crystal Cathcart, co-director of
the LGBTQA and director of the
show, said. “This year we want to
challenge the audience and make
things more political.”
The show started off with a care
fully choreographed rendition of
Madonna’s “Human Nature” by
LGBTQA members before Hill took
the stage.
Hill, also known as “Mr. Show
biz,” regaled audience members with
jokes, songs and a marathon jog
around the EMU Ballroom. Hill’s act
included a Neil Diamond song, a Dol
ly Parton performance and an air
guitar championship.
“It’s good to share the love, and it’s
good for the kids,” Hill said. “These
shows make gay and queer issues
more visible, ... and comedy makes
it a lot easier to hit people with
something new.”
' After Hill’s act, University students
began their performances. There
were 16 performances in all, with
students lip-synching and dancing to
artists ranging from Tom Jones to
Hanson. Many of the performers had
experience in drag, but for others it
was a first-time experience.
“My friends talked me into it, but
they didn’t have to try too hard,”
first-time performer and University
senior Alissa Hannah said. “It’s a lot
of fun, and I’m raising funds for a
good cause.”
Throughout the show volunteers
aided in fundraising for the LGBTQA,
walking the aisles for donations. Uni
versity sophomore Danielle Baker
was one volunteer.
“I’m vol
“Last year with ‘Sizzle!,’ the theme
of the show was flamboyance.
This year we want to challenge
the audience and make
things more political. ’’
Crystal Cathcart | LGBTQA co-director
unteering
because it’s
an awesome
and com
fortable en
vironment,”
Baker said.
“I hope Bent
raises the ex
posure of
lesDians, gays and transgendered peo
ple in the community. ”
Although the audience was mostly
made up of University students, par
ents of performers and community
members, it also attracted people from
all over the state.
An Oregon State University stu
dent, who identified himself as Mer
cedes, came from Portland to watch
the show and participate in the
audience competition.
“I heard about (Bent) through the
grapevine,” Mercedes said. “It’s a
drag show, and I came down to have
a good time.”
During the show, the HIV Alliance
provided free HIV testing and pro
moted a new testing event every
Thesday night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
at Neighbors Bar and Bistro.
Kelly Moore, counseling and test
ing director for the HIV Alliance, said:
“At the end of the night, just a few
people got tested, but mainly the
point of coming here was to promote
our other testing sites.”
A campus tradition—over 100 years of publication.