Some of the College's most beautiful men and women volunteered to show a little skin for charity on March 22 at PRISM's third annual Drag Show, held in the Travers/Wolfe Main Lounge.
Talented Performers included "Squeaky Kendall," "Anita," "Connie Lingus," "Oliver You," "Karma Sutra" and the special guest of the night, real life drag queen "Fantasia."
"There's no ugly in here," Angel Hernandez, junior sociology and women's and gender studies major, proudly said to the crowd as he fixed his trendy miniskirt. "Only fabulous."
Contestants pulled up their fishnets and puckered their lips in preparation for their minutes of fame. Song performances included "Natural Woman," "How Many Licks" and "Cupid's Choke Hold."
The T/W Main Lounge was transformed into a stage by PRISM members, complete with balloons, posters and a red carpet for the performers.
PRISM is the College's only group for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, and the heterosexual people who support them and the movement for equality.
Members of the audience included PRISM supporters, friends of performers, students living in the freshman dorms and curious faces throughout the community. Event coordinators kept the crowd's energy up by throwing condoms blown up like beach balls into the air. Attendees had mixed reactions to the party favors.
Fake breasts weren't the only things being supported on Thursday night. More than $165 was collected throughout the night to help victims dwelling at Rainbow House in Trenton.
The Rainbow House serves as a hospice for people up to 22 years of age living with HIV/AIDS. Money was collected after each performer in mock movie theater popcorn bags.
Door prizes were raffled off throughout the night and included condoms, a hula hoop and DVDs, including "Anger Management," "Coyote Ugly" and "The Hot Chick," which Hernandez jokingly called "the biography of my life."
Freshman Heather Silivanch, winner of one of the flashy door prizes, commented on her time at the drag show. "I won a hula hoop," she said, "so it's a good time."
PRISM, allied with the Travers Community Advisors for the event, began planning the show approximately one month before the performance.
Hernandez, PRISM's president, said that PRISM was "looking for a way to educate on sexual health and gender identity." Hernandez stressed at the end of the night to be safe about sex and not to "let the heat of the moment catch you up." He added, "Don't be a fool. Wrap your tool."
For professional drag queen Fantasia, it was her second appearance at the College. She graced the audience as a blond girly yodeler for Gwen Stefani's "Wind It Up" and dressed as a sexy Santa Claus for "Today for You, Tomorrow for Me" from the hit musical "Rent."
Hernandez met Fantasia through MySpace and asked her to come perform for the charity event. Sadly, this drag show was one of Fantasia's last shows in New Jersey. She told the crowd that she would soon be relocating to Las Vegas "to pursue the drag queen American Dream."
Throughout the night, Residence Director and drag show emcee Quianay Bennett read statistics and asked hot topic questions about sex and sexually transmitted diseases. This year, 40,000 men, women and children will be diagnosed with HIV. Despite this, one in every four people affected with HIV doesn't know it.
The inspirational moment of the night came at the end of the show when Fantasia told all the performers to be proud of their performances and who they are. "You are beautiful, you are fierce," she said. "That is what drag is about."
