The show provided a space for celebration and expression of the LGBTQ+ community while promoting advocacy and entertainment.
The event featured performances by four students and four local professionals. Some participants performed twice, and by the end of the show, there were 14 performances total.
Audience members and judges cheered as drag queens and kings lip-synced and danced to popular music.
“It was really well attended,” audience member and first-year Emma Brown said. “They did an amazing job finding people.”
The night opened with Romeo DeMornay-Sanchez, a Des Moines performer, dancing to Eric Bellinger’s “Shine on the World.”
Several acts followed, and performers moved between the stage and the floor while interacting with the audience. Throughout the two-hour event, judges and performers joked and laughed with the audience.
Though behind the makeup and costumes, the event conveyed messages relating to LGBTQ+ struggles.
“The ultimate goal is to convince people to have that acceptance for queer people that they might not have had before the show,” the president of Simpson PRIDE and senior Alexis Ulrich said.
Students and staff filled the majority of the seating before the show began.
“This is just an incredible celebration of beauty and bravery,” Simpson College President Sue Stuebner said.
Several performances addressed current dilemmas facing the LGBTQ+ community. Loretta Stone, another professional performer, shared her personal story with the audience before lip-syncing to “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor.
Her performance highlighted queer individuals as people who may express themselves differently than others, but are no less human than anyone else. Her story about recovery from abuse and recent Iowa legislation had the audience both cheering and in tears.
The judges thanked her for the visibility and honesty she displayed.
“Whether you are part of the queer community or not, we love you,” Director of Community and Belonging and judge Allie Martinez said to the audience. “You’re seen, and you’re valued.”
Other judges included professors John Arnold, Nick Proctor, Ryan Rehmeier and President Stuebner. Students showed just as much expression as professionals, and the crowd showed just as much enthusiasm.
“I’m performing for all the folks that do not feel comfortable in their own bodies,” student performer PBC said.
PBC’s two performances focused on standing out against societal norms and giving a voice to the voiceless.
Judges chose the performance of Leigh D. Parts and Genesis Row as the winners. The pair performed a choreographed dance number to the song “Literal Legend” by Ayesha Erotica.
“It was amazing, and coordinating things together, spectacular,” Rehmeier said. “I think the crowd liked it a lot.”
Since its inception in 2001, the drag show has served as a fundraiser. In 2023, the year the show returned after COVID, it supported the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund, an organization which seeks to help individuals access gender-affirming care in the state. This year, more than $300 in cash tips were raised.
