KSC Pride hosted its annual community drag show in the Mabel Brown Room on Saturday, April 5. It was previously paused due to COVID-19, but with the help of the PepsiCo partnership grant, they were able to return to the stage. This year, it welcomed drag artists Jackie Legs, Ginger Soulless, Savory Soulless and Luke Laroe.
At the entrance of the MBR, KSC Pride’s e-board welcomed people in, offering pronoun pins and a place to sign in for Hootie Points on the table.
Ian Kaplan, the coordinator of LGBTQ+ student support at Keene State, introduced the event with a small inspirational speech referencing drag artists as “bold trailblazers who refuse to be silenced.”
Ginger Soulless hosted the night, announcing the queens and king onto the stage for their performances, as well as performing a few songs of her own. She is the co-owner of Madame Sherri’s Lounge and Cabaret in Keene, which is Keene’s first queer club, bar and restaurant. She is also a founding member and board vice president of Keene Pride, according to the spotlight slideshow prior to the event.
Throughout the night, the drag artists performed and lip-synced to different songs in different outfits and had a live singing performance by Luke Laroe, the only drag king of the night.
Some students especially loved Jackie Legs, whose second performance featured a song by Fleetwood Mac. First-year Eva Burroughs said, “Jackie Legs was awesome. Oh my gosh.”
“I was raised on people like Stevie Nicks and just free women. Something about that eccentric-type style that I always loved,” said Jackie Legs when the performers were asked who inspired them to get into drag.
President of KSC Pride and senior Levi LeBoeuf mentioned the importance of queer spaces and activities on campus.
“I’ve been here for four years and I really enjoy having spaces where I can really be myself,” said LeBoeuf. “It’s important to have those spaces to feel comfortable and not have to worry about other people’s thoughts.”
Madelyn Marabella can be contacted at
mmarabella@kscequinox.com
