Celebrating the Holidays Like a Queen
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The holidays are all about glitz and glamour, and no one is as glamorous as the ever-fabulous drag queens. This past Friday,December 15, UPRM’s LGBTQ+ association spectRUM spread the Christmas cheer by holding a Christmas-themed drag show in the third floor of the student center. Guests included long-time LGBTQ+ supporter and TV personality, Sonya Cortés, who received recognition for always being available and giving support to events like this one. Comedy queen Ana Macho, brought the house down with her hilariously witty stand-up, as well as an array of other talented entertainers.
The queen of the night was Desire Cardoza, who was celebrating her very successful 20-year-long career as a drag queen. The way she commands the stage and her incredible performances give testimony to the hard work and effort she puts into her craft. Desire is also a counselor for spectRUM which proves that not only is this queen talented, she also has a big heart and a good head on her shoulders. Hopefully, these were just the first 20 years of a much longer and fruitful career ahead of her.
Throughout the event, the host, who was entertaining and quick-witted, kept the audience amused with some games. Competitive as always, the Colegiales brought the house down! Quite literally too, as one of the participants had a mishap and broke the stage, though not to worry, as it was quickly fixed and no one was injured apart from some passionate people who ended up with bruises to win a lip-sync challenge (Her Campus’ very own Fabiola del Valle!). Putting that little incident aside, the games were a great way for the audience to let loose, break the ice, have fun and also, be part of the show. However, It wasn’t all just fun and games, spectRUM used this platform to bring services for the community. AchĂ© Top, an organization that aims to aid and educate the LGTBQ+ community in various aspects including sexual health was present offering free, quick and confidential HIV testing. YPREV (Youth Prevention Program) was also at the event giving out free prevention kits to the attending audience. Because a healthy sex life, is a great sex life.
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With everything that has been going on in our island recently, it is events like these that bring joy and laughter back into our lives. It was an amazing experience made possible by a dedicated and hardworking group of people. It was also great to learn that  some of the queens seen there that night were from our very own campus.
¡Orgullo colegial!
Remember, if you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community at the UPRM campus and need some guidance or someone to talk to, you can always reach out to spectRUM, and they will be more than happy to help you in any way they can. Be the queen or king you were meant to be this holiday season.