Towering in pink platform heels with shiny gold toes, Dani Lamorte addressed the ballroom of students while peering through the bangs of a wig fashioned from auburn and gold leaves.

“We are people, too, but we are people with really big egos and small self-esteems, so you better cheer for us.”

Lamorte and co-host Moon Baby, a stunning Amazon figure taking the stage in leggings that featured a floral-and-kitten pattern and with blue party hat atop her auburn hair, were referring to the 14 participants in Rainbow Alliance’s 12th annual charity drag show. The show was part of the group’s Pride Week, which works toward raising awareness of LGBTQ community issues. Two celebrity drag queens, Pittsburgh local Sharon Needles and her co-star Alaska of a thundrous last name, both from “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” attended the event, and the Main Floor of the William Pitt Union transformed its men’s and women’s bathrooms into gender-neutral areas for the length of the evening.

The Drag Show’s participants’ stage names were as colorful as their sequined ensembles — the night included performances by queens Condomeeza Spice and Anita Strapón. 

In order to perform at the show, the dancers went through an application process that began in February, Rainbow Alliance President Tricia Dougherty said. Rainbow Alliance posted flyers and sent out emails in search of performers for the most recent edition of the drag show. 

Dougherty said that the performers included Pitt alumni and University staff as well as students. Some had only started performing in drag recently, while others had years of experience.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force. Dougherty said this group provides a variety of services to the Rainbow Alliance, including HIV testing, free condoms and safe-sex workshops. Before the show began, she said that she hoped to raise about $1,000 through tips for the dancers. 

And if Ambrosia Bubbles’ performance was any indication, Rainbow Alliance seemed well on its way to meeting the goal. 

Clad in gold hot shorts, Bubbles — portrayed by Pitt senior Trevor Bublitz — elicited a frenzy from the audience as she danced. Audience members threw money at the her more quickly than she could reach out to grab it from their hands.

Ignoring the mess of outstretched arms surrounding her, she only stopped her dancing when a powerful hip thrust caused her wig to dislodge itself from her head. After a pause from the initial shock, she jumped right back into her routine.

Near Patrick Harris, on the other hand, sported a more conservative outfit. Dressed in a sleek suit and patent-leather shoes, the drag king performed “Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit,” popularized by Neil Patrick Harris’ character in the television show “How I Met Your Mother.” 

For Taylor Paglisotti, the Pitt senior who portrayed Harris, drag is an escape from everyday living, if only for a moment. 

“Drag reminds me that there are places where I can be myself and be ridiculous at the same time and that people appreciate that,” Paglisotti said before the show. “On days where I feel like, ‘Oh, I should put this necklace on because it is more feminine, or I should wear these earrings,’ it makes me feel like there is merit in the gray areas between the categories of man and woman.”

In addition to dance routines such as Harris’ number, the event also included segments that educated the public. Dougherty said the performances blurred gender lines, providing a valuable experience for the event’s attendees. 

“In between the performances, we have information about why people do drag and information about gender performances and the theoretical concepts behind it,” Dougherty explained before the show.

And in a surprise announcement in between performances, members of the Rainbow Alliance told the crowd that as of next semester, student groups will be able to fill out a form at Pitt’s Student Health Services to obtain 100 free condoms to distribute at events.

After 12 years, the drag show has even cultivated a fanbase at Pitt and in the city of Pittsburgh.

Junior Jason Howell, who has attended Rainbow Alliance’s charity drag show for the last six years, said the show gets better every year.

“Anybody who gets up there and does Beyonce is a friend of mine,” he said.

(source)

After years of excruciating pain, comic performer/writer JACKIE BEAT is finally getting a double hip replacement. Can you help?