Dude looks like a lady…and vice versa

Photos and slideshow by The Signal reporter Truett Manning.
 
Sara Haghipour
The Signal
Classrooms transformed into dressing rooms March 29 as drag queens and drag kings prepared for Unity Club’s Drag Show and Marriage Equality Ball.

It was the second annual drag show by UHCL’s Unity Club and featured professional drag queens from the Houston chapter of the nonprofit organization The Empire of the Royal Sovereign and Imperial Court of the Single Star (ERSICSS).

Angela Mercy is a new member of ERSICSS and has been participating for two months.

“The more exposure people get [to drag queens], the easier it will be to accept,” Mercy said.  “It’s people having some fun and raising money for a good cause.”

The drag show was not only graced with drag queens but also drag kings from the local group GENDERMYN.

“The GENDERMYN are a Houston-based gender performance troupe that came together to deconstruct traditional notions of gender and sexuality,” states the organization’s website.

“We’re the queer theatrical troop of drag kings,” Robin Mack, known as Clint Torres, GENDERYMN performer said.  “When we’re not doing performances, we do workshops and work on the Gender book.  We raise money for the Hatch, the Gender book, and for gender surgeries,” said Mack.

The GENDER book is a community effort by the organization that is comprised of illustrations to represent their group and their mission.

Jay Mays, known as Pedro Asty, and performer Koomah are members of both GENDERMYN and ERSICSS.

“ERSICSS is more for fundraising to give to organizations,” Koomah said.  “GENDERMYN is fun, sexy and educational.”

The drag show’s marriage equality theme was illustrated with décor including balloons proclaiming “I DO” and a photo booth featuring marriage and honeymoon backdrops where attendees could “marry” each other, regardless of gender.

“Marriage equality is a hot topic in colleges and needs to change in the US.  It’s slowly but surely happening but we want to make it happen in Texas,” said Alan Mansfield, Unity president.

The Houston-area chapter of the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) had a booth set up providing information about their organization.

Unity has raised more than $800 through donations from the drag show and other various fundraisers with all proceeds going to GLSEN.

“The point of the organization is to make safe schools…period,” said Kim Case, GLSEN representative and UHCL associate professor of women’s studies and psychology.

GLSEN provides workshops to teachers, counselors and leaders in K-12 schools based on a needs assessment according to each particular school’s needs.  The organization provides two nationally credentialed facilitators for the workshops.

GLSEN also provides student support by providing training for LGBT students and ally student leaders.

Unity chose GLSEN as the recipient of their fundraising efforts because both have similar missions to provide safe places for LGBT persons and allies.

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) were also present.  Brenda Godsey, volunteer for PFLAG was at the drag show to spread awareness and help register students to vote.

“We’re here trying to get out to people why it’s okay to be LGBT,” Godsey said.  “It’s to provide support to families.”

Mansfield said he is proud of being a part of Unity.

“We empower each other through each event that we plan and coordinate together that is aimed at the advocacy of equal rights among all minority groups that endure discrimination based upon sexism, racism and/or homophboia,” Mansfield said.

Unity Vice President Valerie Siman echoed Mansfield, explaining one reason why Unity chose to have a drag show on campus.

“It’s important to have events like this to bring awareness, diversity and inclusion,” Siman said.

With this being the second drag show Unity has sponsored, Mansfield points out that they learned from last year’s drag show mistakes and worked to correct them this year.

“This years ‘Marriage Equality Ball’ surpassed my expectations,” Mansfield said.