LGBT pageant explores gender norms

Foggy air and laser lights went practically unnoticed at the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs' "Conceptions of Drag" show held last night at the Michigan League.

What captured a crowd of 175 were the 'stars' who strutted their stuff through the glamorous ambiance.

"Betner," otherwise known as Art and Design junior Ben Fife, who was dressed in a long black dress, dog collar and red lip stick, got the crowd roaring.

Fife seduced the audience as he lip-synced the sexy 40s-style song, "It's Silk." Working his way through the crowd, Fife flirted with several women and even invited one up on the stage for a dance.

Fife said he had been looking forward to the event all year.

DAVID ROCHKIND/Daily LSA sophomore Erica Sopha performs at "Conceptions of Drag," the culminating event of National Coming Out Week at the Michigan League last night.

"I think its really important to have a setting where gender can be playdough. There's a lot of pressure at the University to assimilate one way or the other. It's important to mock the gender assimilation concept at large," he said.

Haruna Madodo, a Music junior student, organized the event. "We're basically breaking stereotypes about what gender is. That's why we called it 'Conceptions of Drag.' We usually expect drag queens to be men dressed as women. That's society's 'norm.'"

The gender specificities of the clothing were more up for scrutinization than the participants' sexualities, think

Madodo said.

Art and Design sophomore Jenny Boyer drew many laughs with her lip-synch rendition of "Father Hard-On."

Dressed as a Catholic priest, Boyer slowly approached the stage with her head bowed down as eerie church bells and organ music played in the background.

Boyer raised her right hand to the sky as two church-goers approached and tried to seduce her. Finally giving in, Boyer let the two girls rip off her sacred attire as funky club music replaced the organs.

"I think that I did this because there is a lot of emphasis on gender roles" said Boyer. "I think that gender is pointless. We should all fuse together as one gender. When we look at each other, we should not think of males and females, but of humanity," she said.

Participants in the event were more concerned that the show deflect society's perception of gender roles than make a statement about sexual orientation.

Rackham second-year student Gary Brouhard dressed in women's clothing, but not in the glamorous-queen image he said society has fabricated. He was dressed a school girl, clad in knee-highs and a plaid skirt. Brouhard, is not a member of LGBT, but feels that clothing is unfairly associated with gender roles. "I think that it shows that gender roles are things we put on, like clothing."

Brouhard hopes that the show encourages other students at the University, regardless of sexual preference, or just those who want to be different, to just "come out."

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