Brody Villaseñor

Yza Vision, from the local drag family The Haus of Sin, performs at California Lutheran University’s “Dancing with Drag.”

California Lutheran University’s Center for Cultural Engagement and Inclusion hosted “Dancing with Drag” on Friday, Oct. 24, bringing students and community members together for dinner and a free show by local drag artists.

Jonathan Leon, coordinator for the CCEI, said the evening was among the center’s efforts to “empower students” by helping them “find belonging and community on campus.” 

“Whether you identify as LGBTQ+ or not, this space is a safe space for all allies and LGBTQ+ people to just have fun, be in community with one another and be unapologetically themselves,” Leon said.

According to Leon, CCEI has previously partnered with drag queens for events, including last year’s “Drag Bingo,” featuring queens from “The Haus of Sin,” a local drag family. He said the center has maintained a connection with this family for years.

“This year, we decided to kind of eliminate the bingo aspect of it and just have a typical drag show with some queens from the area, and it’s all in celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month,” Leon said.

The four drag queens who participated in the show were Samara Sin, Yza Vision, Rae Oblivion and Mylique E. Fawcett.

Samara Sin said Cal Lutheran’s drag shows are “progressive,” considering they are performing at a religious institution.  

“You could be a drag performer and also be in a religious space. It’s both seen as, like, kind, welcoming. [We are] showing that drag is just an art form and nothing less than that,” Samara Sin said.

Mylique E. Fawcett said she appreciated that the drag performers were told to stay true to themselves.   

“[The CCEI] told us to come as we were, they didn’t tell us to water our drag down,” Mylique E. Fawcett said. “They said, ‘Do the number you want to do, and the audience would have a good time,’ and we really appreciate that.”

Associated Students of California Lutheran University President Ashlyn Bryson-Beane said it was exciting to watch the show and support the performers.

“It’s exciting to be here, especially for Ca Lu to put it on,” Bryson-Beane said. “It’s just a fun time and it’s important for us to support our local queer artists.” 

Allison Stehle, a senior, said she had fun while watching the show as a first-time attendee of an on-campus drag show.

“More inclusivity on campus is what we need,” Stehle said. “It is a good time, and it’s a lot of fun. To get to support queer artists is a bonus on top of it.”