Moscow Drag Shows Offer Local GLBTA Community a Place to Connect
High heels, a leopard print dress, and outrageous makeup may seem like inappropriate attire for a typical Saturday night in Moscow, Id., but for performers at the Moscow drag shows, it’s all in the job description.
Once a month, the Moscow drag shows offer the university towns of Pullman and Moscow a safe venue for members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community and their allies to come together and celebrate.
Last weekend’s show featured a debut performance by Lauren Edholm, a junior women’s studies major at WSU. Dressed in thigh-high fishnets and a short, corset-style dress that ripped off to reveal lacy undergarments, Edholm commanded the stage and the attention of 400-person crowd to a sexy lip-synced rendition of “All That Jazz”.
Edholm is just one of many WSU students who regularly attend or perform in the drag shows as a way to connect with the GLTBA community.
“When you perform, you kind of become a face for the community in the area,” said Tyler Perkins, a junior zoology student at WSU. “You do it because you are not afraid of how people react to the fact that you’re gay.”
The Moscow drag shows are run by Kathy Sprague and her partner Tabitha, local business owners in Moscow and self-proclaimed advocates for the GLBTA (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and ally) community.
The shows, which began about 15 years ago, were created as a way to commemorate a friend of Sprague’s who died of AIDs. Before each performance, Sprague, dressed as “Bill” in men’s work clothes and a sizeable moustache, addresses the audience. She said the shows are a perfect forum for reaching out to the GLBTA community about important issues such as HIV testing and local support events.
Sprague said the reason the shows are so successful is because of the consistency.
“A lot of organizations have come and gone, but for 15 years, the drag shows have happened once a month,” Sprague said. “We need that kind of event to keep our community strong.”
This sense of unity is appreciated by attendees like Ben Wyant, a freshman pre-vet major at WSU.
“I think that safe events like this allow for people of the gay community to come together and feel wanted and a part of something,” said Wyant.
The shows typically feature two sets of drag performances, which include Drag Queens (men performing as women) and Drag Kings (women performing as men), and as well as Bio Drag performances, in which the performer maintains his or her gender but creates a different, often exaggerated drag identity with which to perform.
Performers vary by week but “there are definitely the usual suspects” said Sprague. In order to perform, participants must attend a “Drag 101” course to learn the guidelines of drag.
“It’s more drag etiquette than anything else,” said Sprague. “We want the performers to really express themselves so we don’t have a lot of rules.”
The Moscow community in general is very accepting of the GBLTA community, Sprague said. The shows have been consistently well-attended since their start.
“The first show had about 100 people at it,” Sprague said, “And now we easily get 300 to 500 at every one.”
Their biggest turnout was at an event in 2000 at the local dance club venue The Beach. The show was featured in a local paper and drew in a crowd of over 1600.
The next show is scheduled for Jan. 30 at the Moose Lodge in Moscow, Id. Doors open at 9 p.m. Sprague expects the event to be “a big one” because it will also be her birthday celebration.
Sources:
Katherine Sprague – in person
kathys@moscow.com
(208) 892-9100
Tyler Perkins - by e-mail
tperky@wsu.edu
Ben Wyant - by e-mail
benwyant09@hotmail.com
Lauren Edholm - interview not conducted, was unable to contact this source
ledholm@wsu.edu
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Speech ledes
1) Tuition costs continue to rise as a result of the $54 million budget cut, and District 9 Sen. Mark Schoesler said that higher education will continue to be at risk until the economy begins to recover.
2) WSU President Floyd said that Gov. Christine Gregoire's plans to cut higher education by nearly $100 million illustrate a vast difference of opinion on how state money should be distributed.
3) Habitat destruction, global climate change, and emerging diseases are just a few reasons for the worldwide decline in amphibian species populations, said Associate Professor Andrew Storfer.
2) WSU President Floyd said that Gov. Christine Gregoire's plans to cut higher education by nearly $100 million illustrate a vast difference of opinion on how state money should be distributed.
3) Habitat destruction, global climate change, and emerging diseases are just a few reasons for the worldwide decline in amphibian species populations, said Associate Professor Andrew Storfer.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Speech story
State Officials Address Students About Graduating in Times of Economic Stress
An improved business climate may be the key to recovery for the Washington state budget and will provide hope to students entering the job market.
“We need businesses here. We need jobs here,” Representative Joe Schmick said. “We have students with good degrees. They need good jobs!”
Schmick addressed students at Washington State University on Tuesday Dec. 1, along with fellow Senator Mark Schoesler and State Representative Susan Fagan. The event was part of the “Coffee and Politics” series hosted by the Foley Institute.
The officials were invited to speak about how the Washington state budget shortfalls will effect WSU and the City of Pullman.
Students at WSU have already felt the financial strain of the shrinking state budget. Tuition has increased by 14 percent since the university fiscal budget was announced last spring, and will increase by another 14 percent for the 2010 and 2011 school year.
When asked if WSU can expect to see even more tuition increases and department cuts in the future, the officials said that circumstances are uncertain but more cuts are possible.
“Until the economy is turned around, higher education is always at risk,” Schoesler said.
With companies like Boeing opting to leave the state, the annual retail growth in Washington state is low and unemployment is high. The officials all stressed the important of growth in the economy. Schmick said that there will be a natural progression of dollars for education as the business climate improves.
Pullman community members and students also voiced concerns that students graduating from college with thousands of dollars of debt are suffering when entering an already-competitive job market.
“We’re really aware of that impact,” Schmick said, “It’s like, here’s your diploma, and by the way, here’s your mortgage.”
Senior political science major Celena Canode said that it does feel like an inopportune time to enter the working world.
“Some students are opting to go to graduate school just because there are so few jobs out there right now,” Canode said.
Fagan said that she feels it is part of her responsibility to make sure that students have job opportunities upon graduation and that prioritizing state spending is one step in the process of recovery.
“We are spending more money than we have. There is no question about that,” Fagan said.
One method of state fund prioritization that arose multiple times was the idea of re-evaluating the qualifications and expectations for unemployed citizens receiving supplemental income through the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) in order to conserve state funds.
Chloe Beardsley, a senior political science major, believes that some people use government unemployment programs as a crutch.
“There is probably a lot of money that could be conserved,” Beardsley said. “I have friends my age on unemployment who use the money just because they’re eligible for it, not because they have to.”
The Washington State Legislature will be looking into reprioritizing spending across the board this year in order to make it through tough times.
“I don’t think you’ll see many stones left unturned at the end of this year,” Schmick said.
Sources:
Celena Canode
celenacandoe@gmail.com
Chloe Beardsley
cbeardsley239@yahoo.com
Speakers:
Senator Mark Schoesler - (360) 786-7620
Representative Joe Schmick – (360) 786-7844
Representative Susan Fagan - (360) 786-7942
3 Questions:
1) Do you feel students are well-informed about politics on a local or national level
2) Do you feel students have a voice in local politics?
3) Do you feel that high education is a priority for taxpayers in Washington state? Should it be?
An improved business climate may be the key to recovery for the Washington state budget and will provide hope to students entering the job market.
“We need businesses here. We need jobs here,” Representative Joe Schmick said. “We have students with good degrees. They need good jobs!”
Schmick addressed students at Washington State University on Tuesday Dec. 1, along with fellow Senator Mark Schoesler and State Representative Susan Fagan. The event was part of the “Coffee and Politics” series hosted by the Foley Institute.
The officials were invited to speak about how the Washington state budget shortfalls will effect WSU and the City of Pullman.
Students at WSU have already felt the financial strain of the shrinking state budget. Tuition has increased by 14 percent since the university fiscal budget was announced last spring, and will increase by another 14 percent for the 2010 and 2011 school year.
When asked if WSU can expect to see even more tuition increases and department cuts in the future, the officials said that circumstances are uncertain but more cuts are possible.
“Until the economy is turned around, higher education is always at risk,” Schoesler said.
With companies like Boeing opting to leave the state, the annual retail growth in Washington state is low and unemployment is high. The officials all stressed the important of growth in the economy. Schmick said that there will be a natural progression of dollars for education as the business climate improves.
Pullman community members and students also voiced concerns that students graduating from college with thousands of dollars of debt are suffering when entering an already-competitive job market.
“We’re really aware of that impact,” Schmick said, “It’s like, here’s your diploma, and by the way, here’s your mortgage.”
Senior political science major Celena Canode said that it does feel like an inopportune time to enter the working world.
“Some students are opting to go to graduate school just because there are so few jobs out there right now,” Canode said.
Fagan said that she feels it is part of her responsibility to make sure that students have job opportunities upon graduation and that prioritizing state spending is one step in the process of recovery.
“We are spending more money than we have. There is no question about that,” Fagan said.
One method of state fund prioritization that arose multiple times was the idea of re-evaluating the qualifications and expectations for unemployed citizens receiving supplemental income through the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) in order to conserve state funds.
Chloe Beardsley, a senior political science major, believes that some people use government unemployment programs as a crutch.
“There is probably a lot of money that could be conserved,” Beardsley said. “I have friends my age on unemployment who use the money just because they’re eligible for it, not because they have to.”
The Washington State Legislature will be looking into reprioritizing spending across the board this year in order to make it through tough times.
“I don’t think you’ll see many stones left unturned at the end of this year,” Schmick said.
Sources:
Celena Canode
celenacandoe@gmail.com
Chloe Beardsley
cbeardsley239@yahoo.com
Speakers:
Senator Mark Schoesler - (360) 786-7620
Representative Joe Schmick – (360) 786-7844
Representative Susan Fagan - (360) 786-7942
3 Questions:
1) Do you feel students are well-informed about politics on a local or national level
2) Do you feel students have a voice in local politics?
3) Do you feel that high education is a priority for taxpayers in Washington state? Should it be?
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