In celebration of Pride Week at Southern Utah University, the Pride and Equality Club hosted the sixth annual Drag Brunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Sharwan Smith Student Center Ballroom. Members of the campus community enjoyed the atmosphere and supported local drag artists.
Before the performers took the stage, audience members were encouraged to grab a plate full of pastries and fruit while the emcee, Laurel Buxton, gave a brief introduction of the show and the history of drag in the United States, which dates back to the 1860s.
Buxton even talked about Utah’s drag history, which is more prevalent than some may think.
“The first documented drag performance here was in 1871. That is 25 years before Utah even became a state, which is crazy,” she stated. “Evan Stephens in 1
882, who would later become the director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sang soprano in a full ‘lady’s costume’ during a concert at the Salt Lake Theater backed by a choir of 200 children.”
Performers included Moth Man, who spread his wings across the stage; Will Wood, who ended his performance by tossing a paper airplane into the crowd; Salem, who is also known as the witch of Cedar City; and many more.
“My favorite part is the opportunity we give to drag performers, especially here in southern Utah with how polarized it can be,” said Issy De Las Casas, a member of
the PAEC. “I think that us being able to give back in that way is one of the best things we can do as a club.”
Throughout the performances, audience members ate, cheered and provided tips.
Because of the event’s scale, planning and coordinating Drag Brunch takes members from all over the SUU community.
“This is definitely one of the most collaborative events we do every year,” De Las Casas mentioned. “We have people from STIL who help us, people from Pride Alliance, people who just exist in this sphere and want to help.”
Drag Brunch is just one event that occurs during SUU Pride Week, which is held the first week of April to uplift the university’s queer community.
“I think that it is so important that SUU has a week dedicated to spreading queer joy, especially in a time where we have a lot of pushback from not just the community around us but also from higher legislative powers,” stated De Las Casas.
Throughout the rest of the week, there will be more events like the annual SUU Pride Alliance B.W. Bastian Foundation Film Festival, which will be held April 3-4 at 6 p.m. in the Student Center Theater. More information on Pride Week can be found on the Q Center’s Instagram.
Author: Heather Turner
Photographer: Lukas Hassell
Editor: Shauri Thacker
life@suunews.net
