Drag queen Emo Channel performs during the Progressive Student Union’s Drac Show on Oct. 30 at Coffee Pop-Up Boutique. Emo Channel’s first number was inspired by the musical “Mean Girls.”
For two hours on Thursday evening, a small coffee shop in Arlington’s Lincoln Square became the center stage to a local drag show, bringing laughter and community amid political uncertainty.
Attendees inside Coffee Pop-Up Boutique, a temporary safe haven, watched drag queens and kings take the floor with passion. Some performed musical numbers in striking, bright attire. Others put on solemn shows dressed in black and red. Some danced to music from “Alvin and the Chipmunks.” The crowd erupted all the same.
The “Drac Show,” hosted by the Progressive Student Union, took place during what was formerly UTA’s designated Pride Month. The event looked to send a message to state officials, amid legislative crackdowns and a UT System ban on drag shows, that the community “will not be so easily silenced.”
Cyan Eastin, drag performer, 21, performs during the Progressive Student Union’s Drac Show on Oct. 30 at Coffee Pop-Up Boutique. Cyan Eastin goes by Trance Masque as their drag name.
In 2023, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 17, barring Texas universities from most diversity, equity and inclusion practices — including providing LGBTQ+ resources. The bill put a full stop to UTA’s typical October Pride celebrations.
Seraphine Pecson, Progressive Student Union president, said these celebrations were important for UTA’s LGBTQ+ community, especially younger students. The hole the ban left on campus sparked the idea for the Drac Show and similar events.
It’s not a task the Progressive Student Union is taking on alone. Last year, The Football Team: A Creative Collective held its own off-campus drag show, showcasing local performers at Taípo, a restaurant in downtown Arlington.
Drag performer Dr. Guava Skipper performs as Alvin from “Alvin and the Chipmunks” during the Progressive Student Union’s Drac Show on Oct. 30 at Coffee Pop-Up Boutique. Guava Skipper performed the song “Witch Doctor” from the movie.
“We thought it important to provide this space for those folks — a space that they can go to be themselves, just experience those same things that I, as a freshman, experienced, which helped me later on in my life,” Pecson said.
Thursday’s show echoed that sentiment.
“We hope you have a little bit of fun tonight, because I know it’s not as fun out in the world,” said Dr. Guava Skipper, drag queen and one of the event’s hosts.
Drag shows, at their heart, are about people being proud of who they are, Pecson said. They are impactful under the current social climate, which she said includes people wanting to keep drag out of the public eye.
Electrical engineering junior Libia Contreras introduces themselves for the costume contest during Progressive Student Union’s Drac Show on Oct. 30 at Coffee Pop-Up Boutique. Contreras is the Progressive Student Union’s treasurer.
“It helps show people who are new to the community what they’re capable of,” Pecson said. “That’s certainly what it did for me when I was younger.”
Photography senior Peyton Higgins said, being a member of the LGBT community herself, she loves attending events in Arlington that explore LGBT identity. It’s also important for UTA students to have an outlet to express themselves because of the diversity of the campus, she said.
“Everyone should have the responsibility or the privilege to show their community and their traditions,” Higgins said.
Controversy around LGBTQ+ oriented events on campus didn’t end with SB 17.
Drag performer Dr. Cordie O. Vascular performs during the Progressive Student Union’s Drac Show on Oct. 30 at Coffee Pop-Up Boutique. Dr. Cardi O. Vascular performed two numbers.
In March, the UT System banned its universities from sponsoring drag shows or hosting them in campus facilities. The announcement came after Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare sent a letter to the Board of Regents urging them to end drag on campus.
In the letter, O’Hare, a UT Austin alumnus, wrote that UTA hosted an event that prominently featured a drag performer, and that drag shows reduce the perception of women to “stereotypes and body parts.” It’s unclear what specific event he was referring to.
For Pecson, actions like the UT System ban are why keeping these events available in public is important. She said it helps affirm the community’s pride.
“For people who feel afraid or intimidated to do this sort of thing, I want them to know that other folks in the community are always here to keep you safe,” Pecson said.
@PMalkomes