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Pride Week Kicks off With the MSU Drag Show

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Jessy McGregor
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Lauren Kroll
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MSU chapter.

Last Friday Michigan State hosted The Official MSU Drag Show. This show featured drag kings and queens, some professional and some students from MSU.
 
The show took place inside of MSU’s International Center and lasted for about 3 and a half hours.
 
With expectations high, students lined up outside the International Center waiting for one of the 650 spots allotted for audience members. Students crammed chairs together and there appeared to be no empty seats by the time the show had started. The host for the night was Hershae’ Chocolatae’ one of the drag queens who also performed on stage that night. Chocolatae’, has been seen on America’s Got Talent and surprised the crowd with crude humor right from the beginning of the show.
 
“My initial reaction once it started was to laugh, they made many adult humor references that I wasn’t quite expecting so it made me laugh,” said MSU student Brittani Havenaar.
 
Audience members approached the stage every so often to tip the kings and queens as a show of support.
 
“Drag shows are a way for trans genders to show confidence and to show pride in themselves.  I see it as a progressive way to support all people.  Michigan State is all about diversity, and it is important to support all kinds of diversity, not just race related topics,” said MSU student Alicia Vignoe.
 
This drag show was the start to Pride Week at MSU.  It was a way for students to experience diversity and support others who may be different than themselves.
 
Vignoe said, “It helps kids at State who may be confused or feel awkward about wanting to be transgender.  This shows them that it is okay to be that way and to embrace it. I feel like it’s a big help to every kid who has gone through the deciding process of identifying who they truly are, making them realize that they are not alone.”

Some of the performers that night impressed the crowd with a wide array of gymnastic moves and others had the crowd cheering with renditions of songs by Whitney Houston, Katy Perry and P!nk.
 
“I thought the show was very entertaining and exciting. The energy in the room was outstanding with huge support for the queens along with the LGBT community itself,” said Havenaar
 
With an unexpected lap dance given to a student from Hershae’ Chocolatae’ the show ran over time and ended around 12:30 a.m.

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Lauren is a fifth year senior at Michigan State University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Journalism with a specialization in Editorial Reporting which she will graduate with in the summer of 2012. She previously graduated in May 2011 with a bachelor’s of arts degree in Apparel and Textile Design. Last summer she interned at 944 magazine which helped to strengthen her love for journalism. Lauren loves planning events such as the MSU Annual Undergraduate Fashion Exhibit last year where she had some of her designs and clothing featured. She loves sewing in her spare time and creating beautiful clothes for herself, friends and family. Lauren also enjoys entering her designs into fashion shows such as the Annual Apparel and Textile Design Fashion Show last spring on campus where one of her dresses was a finalist for the judges choice award. She loves any kinds of sweets, cooking, crazy nail polish colors, Italian and Mexican food, shopping for shoes, MSU football games and watching The Devil Wears Prada over and over. Lauren is so excited to be a part of the Her Campus team and is very eager to begin the Her Campus branch at Michigan State!