Bright lips, big wigs, tall heels and fake boobs were just a few things to see at the GLTSBA (Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Straight, Bisexual and Asexual) Pride drag show event on April 17 at 7:30 p.m. Over 100 students and parents filled the Fletcher Lounge to watch 17 performances, making for an entertaining drag show.The night was young and some of UT’s finest students gay or straight put on their best drag gear to compete for various prizes.
GLTSBAPride is a student-run organization on campus. Each year members throw a drag show, and it is always a big hit in the UT community. Christian Reich, the president of GLTSBA and a senior at UT, thought that it was a wonderful event.
“GLTSBA Pride drag show is our premier event of the year,” Reich said. “The club and I spent a lot of time planning this event.”
This year’s Master of Ceremonies Stephanie Shippae has been doing drag for over 20 years. “I loved the atmosphere here at UT––it’s always fun,” Shippae said. “I know I have done my job when I’m up on stage and entertaining and the audience is in it more than me.”
This wasn’t Shippae’s first year doing the drag show here at UT, and it won’t be her last because she was asked to return for next year’s drag show as well. “Stephanie is great,” Reich said. “She is funny and always connects with the audience, and she’s such an amazing performer.”
Michael Buckley, a marine biology major at UT, performed drag for the first time as Rie Shetty and performed the Pussycat Dolls’ song “Jai Ho.” He stumbled in his five-inch heels, but he still took home third place in the drag show. Buckley described his first time doing drag as “fantastic.”
“I still need to practice more in the heels, but other than that, it went great,” Buckley said.
Tess Devlin, a freshman new media major at UT, is happy she won first place in her first drag show. Her stage name is Jack Doff. Devlin set the stage with a drawn on six pack and black slacks, lip syncing the Rihanna hit “S&M.” Being a part of GLTSBA Pride means so much to Devlin.
“I just recently came out and I was nervous,” Devlin said. “It changed my life.” For Devlin, it’s all about feeling welcomed and she does at the GLTSBA annual drag show.
GLTSBA Pride is known for taking students outside of their comfort zone but without any judgment. For sophomore criminology major Laurin Aguilar, the overall feel was exciting to her.
“I love the being around a group of diverse group of people including the LGBT community,” Aguilar said. “I think everyone’s performances were good and what’s so great about drag is that it’s suppose to be fun and I can tell that all the girls and guys were having fun.”
“It is important to have an organization like GLTSBA Pride at UT because it creates a safe space for individuals who are discovering their sexuality,” Reich said.
The drag show is just one of many events that GLTSBA Pride put on for the UT community. Overall, many students described the night as fun and full of laughter. GLTSBA Pride isn’t just opened to students that are a part of the LGBTQ community; it is opened to all different sexual groups.
Brandon Caples can be reached at brandon.caples@spartans.ut.edu