Staff Writer Mackenzie Connor attended the Institute for the Study of Sexuality and Gender’s Drag Workshop.

An inaugural Bwog expedition for me, the drag workshop hosted by the Institute for the Study of Sexuality and Gender (ISSG) pushed me past my comfort zones, introduced me to the power and influence of drag, and was a night filled with dancing, lip-syncing, and laughs. Led by incredible drag performers Theydy Bedbug and Issa Big Dragon, the workshop began with the question: Why does drag matter? 

The answers encapsulated the importance of having an artform where existing is safe, freeing, and explorative. In drag, you are seen for who you are, you are heard and listened to, and you have the power to command space in your environment. We spend a lot of the time trying to take up less space day to day, not being heard, and hiding in the corners of campus or class (I know I hide when my professor cold calls in my microeconomics class), but with drag, the space is for everyone and the space is safe. 

Another important aspect of drag is its accessibility. There are no financial requirements, no strict definitions of the art to adhere by, and no expectations. This accessibility has allowed drag’s mere existence to be a resistance and a tool for activism. Issa Big Dragon shared their involvement with the anti-Met Gala, a glamorous, inclusive event that raised funds for people in medical debt. A symbol of elitism and extreme wealth disparity was subverted into a fundraiser for an issue that no one who attends the Met Gala has to grapple with. The Drag Ball to be hosted by ISSG this Friday breaks barriers with its name alone. A “ball” is traditionally exclusory and unwelcoming, but the drag ball is the opposite. Drag has served as cultural preservation for art that has been historically marginalized by society, and the ball will celebrate this power.

Drag is also a place for joy, movement, gender exploration, and community. At the workshop, I got the chance to cultivate my drag persona among my peers who were expanding and finding their own. Through a drag building worksheet, I began as a fairy, then a warlock, then fully became a demon who was 6 ‘3, had hair down to the floor, and wore a cape and full body chain. Why? Because it’s cool, obviously. 

After we had morphed into the coolest version of ourselves, we displayed our personalities through performances in groups of three. I murdered the mysterious spy in a fedora with my wand of expo markers, donning a black and gold coat borrowed from the one and only Barnard Theatre Department. The “bitchy” influencer then entered to take pics of the dead body and apply chapstick. The room was filled with claps, snaps, and cheers as each of our groups performed and experienced the joy and excitement of being anything we wanted to be. 

Make sure to support the Columbia drag community and your peers at the ISSG Drag Ball this Friday September 19, 6 to 8 pm at the Teatro in the Italian Academy on 1161 Amsterdam Ave (I have no idea what the Italian Academy even is but now there’s an excuse to go there)!

Drag workshop via Columbia