”I was surprised at the fact that our students gave them so much support. Since it’s a small town, I thought people would have a closed mind,” said Angela Hwang, sophomore sociology major.

As part of Queer Week, which occured Oct. 5-9, a drag show took place on Friday in the BMU. The venue was so full, students were outside peeking through the windows to witness the spectacular show.

The show featured four participants: three drag queens and one drag king. It was like a pageant complete with contestants, judges and an audience. Each performer got on stage and performed a song, either dancing to or lip-syncing it.

Each contestant was asked about the history of coming out by the judges following their performance.

A misconception most individuals have is that drag queens and kings are transgender, which is false. Most dress up in drag because it’s fun. Drag queens and kings are humans too— they have families of their own.

The winner of the drag show was Coco Le Crem’e, who won $100 for stealing the show with her dance moves and lap dances given to select audience members.

“It’s OK to be yourself,” Le Crem’e said. “And it’s OK to express yourself. We are all here as a community.”

A total of 150 individuals showed up to show support the Queer Week event. The BMU was welcoming to all the performers with cheers and applause given frequently. After the show, there was a pride walk from Chico State to downtown where participants gathered and chanted.

“It’s important to bring these shows so we can help educate everyone,” said Mr. Willryder, a drag show performer. “They look at us weird whenever we walk down the streets. They do not understand we are regular people like them. Thank you to everyone who came out with an open mind. After all, we are all equal. We are all humans.”

Valeria Flores can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.