LGBT Center will host an amateur drag show Friday as a fundraiser for students to attend MBLGTACC.
Daniel Warner walked back into the LGBT Center in high heels, four pairs of panty hose and spandex shorts, which underneath held in his hip and butt padding.
It was just the first step in a long process that Warner, a senior studying psychology and the project coordinator for the LGBT Center, took to demonstrate basics in drag performance as part of a workshop last Friday.
The reason: Warner, with the center, is putting on a drag show Friday to raise money for students to attend the Midwest Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Ally College Conference.
MBLGTACC is a conference where participants can learn and connect in a space where LGBTQ individuals are the majority, not the minority.
The drag show will raise money for students who cannot pay the full registration amount to attend the conference.
“It’s not a traditional drag (show), where it’s just people who identify as men dress traditionally feminine,” Warner said. “My definition of drag is a hyper-gender expression that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re crossing any sort of gender lines, but rather it’s a really large emphasis on making a performance of gender.”
Six to 10 performers will be a part of the show. Some have experience performing in drag, but for others it is their first time. This is the case for Avery Flener, a freshman studying social work.
“I talked to Daniel about volunteering because I didn’t think I could do it because I was a woman and he was like, ‘no you can do it,’” she said.
Warner has participated in drag shows before, and will be hosting the event on Friday. For his performance, he will be performing “skag drag,” where he will be feminizing himself, but keeping his beard.
During the workshop, besides explaining how to pad, Warner talked about other aspects that go into feminizing for drag, even the not so glamorous.
He explained “tucking,” or hiding male genitalia, covering leg hair if you’re not planning on shaving and contouring or shaping the face to make it look more feminine.
Although the workshop did not demonstrate this, it also included different ways to masculine yourself: creating facial hair or five o’clock shadow, binding to decrease the appearance of breasts, proper clothes to wear to create boxier lines and stuffing pants or using a plastic penis.
“I know that for some people (not necessarily the performers in the show), drag has been an outlet for them personally to experiment with gender expression,” Warner said. “If any of my performers are wanting to do that, I hope they feel comfortable in doing so.”
Flener said she will be doing faux drag, or just hyper-feminizing her appearance. She also contributed to the makeup part of the workshop, helping Warner make his eyeliner “sharp enough to stab the patriarchy,” as he put it. She said she normally gets her makeup tips from drag queens.
Although Flener said she is not going to MBLGTACC, she hopes her efforts help out with the fundraiser.
“I figure that if I can do something to help someone else get there then that would be great,” Flener said.
Delfin Bautista, director of the LGBT Center, said the trip to MBLGTACC should consist of 27 people from Athens, Zanesville and Zane State campuses.
The drag show will not be a competition, but will rely heavily on audience participation.
Those who need help in raising money for the conference will be assisting in the production of the drag show, Bautista said.
Warner said it is going to be a fun, probably sexual event, and those who attend should be ready for a show.
“I want the audience to have fun,” Warner said. “I want the performers to feel good about what happens. …And of course, I want the fundraiser aspect to be a success.”
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