Chris Morehead
alumnus from
Paducah, Ky.
On March 1, 2012 the Murray State Alliance hosted its biannual drag show. The event was amazing; it hosted several local drag queens and a few drag queens from out of town. However, a new issue brought itself into light. At the show it was announced several times, that the performing cast of drag queens was to stay out of the Curris Center hallway. Why were they told this?
There was a Board of Regents meeting taking place just down the hall. As an MSU alumnus, I understand that the Board of Regents has many important tasks it handles. However, why was it stressed so hard to keep the entertainers out of the halls? Was it the fear that the Board of Regents wouldn’t be able to handle a culture which did not reflect their values?
At MSU I was taught that diversity is welcome; during my days on campus I would see many international students dressed in traditional garb of their respective countries. With this in mind why was the sub culture of the gay community; know as drag, seen as so repulsive? Could Board members not handle seeing a culture which differs so much from their own?
As a former entertainer myself, I found that this was very disrespectful to the sub-culture of drag. These performers donate their time and energy to help the Murray State Alliance host its fundraising event.
After seeing the article in the paper about Kara Belle, an entertainer at the show, it made me realize more that due to a sub-culture that clashes with social norms, we forget that these entertainers are just people following their aspirations in life. They deserve the same respect even if you don’t agree with the way they live their lives.