In a year of national backlash against the LGBTQ+ community, Spectrum decided it was time to finally bring back the defiant joy of drag to Millikin’s stage.
Spectrum returns with its long-awaited drag show this Friday, May 2nd at 9:00 p.m. in Kaeuper Hall, after last year’s cancellation. Previously, Millikin’s LGBTQ+ club, Spectrum, had to cancel its eagerly awaited drag show due to both scheduling issues and safety concerns due to the original plan to have the show out in the open and having a lack of other options at the time. Spectrum has not been able to host a drag show for years at Millikin. But now, all Millikin students and guests brought by Millikin students can enjoy a dazzling and joyous time watching drag performers showcasing their glamorous performances, makeup, outfits, and most importantly, creative vision.
“I’m hoping this starts a big tradition with Spectrum and with the campus as a whole to start building that kind of stepping stone to where people can be their own authentic self on campus,” upcoming Spectrum President Jazmine Mileham said.
Spectrum’s Drag Show will have their doors open at 8:30 p.m. with a $5 ticket at the door of Kaeuper Hall in Perkinson Music Center. The drag show will be a strictly 18+ event to help allow performers to be able to express their creativity fully.
Spectrum’s Drag Show will include a wide range of talented drag performers with the headline event being Miss Trans USA of 2024, Beyonce Black St. James, accompanied by drag artists Amity Delite, Britnee Delight, Envy Frost, Floretta B. Extra, Gardenia, Lulu Stiletto, Mahogany Knight, Mariah Candy, Mariah D. Storm, and Raven S. Dickerson Cassadine.
Drag is more than just entertainment, especially to LGBTQ+ people. It is a long-standing form of queer expression that uses performance, fashion, parody, and the act of protest. Drag helps challenge gender norms and celebrates individuality while mirroring and critiquing mainstream culture. On a smaller campus like Millikin, where many students may not have ever been to a drag show, it offers visibility and conservations about identity, inclusivity, and queer art.
“Having it on a college campus shows people that have never been exposed to that specific form of art,” Mileham said. “It can help that person find their identity. Drag is more a queer performance art, so that’s why we wanted to incorporate that on campus.”
Due to the current Spectrum president, Rochelle Pense, graduating this year, Mileham, the current Vice President, took up the job of organizing Spectrum’s drag show. She noted challenges of organizing the event, with getting performers being less difficult due to her connections as a drag performer herself, but noted the difficulty in making sure all the proper paperwork is filled out for the event.
Mileham also recalled from her own experiences and the experiences of fellow drag queens doing drag for the passion and love of the art form, regardless of the lack of pay.
“Performers don’t really get paid that much, so it’s performance art,” she said. “It’s just them putting their hearts on their shoulder out to the public to show how much they love what they do.”
Current President Rochelle Pense will be graduating as a creative writing major with a minor in publishing and editing, as well as a certificate in professional writing. She has been a long-time member of Spectrum, having been the Vice President during her sophomore year and President in her junior and senior years, for a total of three years of leadership. Rochelle mentioned the struggle to keep Spectrum alive once she became President.
“There was a point where it was kind of just me because all my exec team graduated and no one was really present in the group,” Pense said. “I was kind of worried that the group was going to die with me, which I really didn’t want to happen.”
Like many other organizations at Millikin after the COVID-19 outbreak, Spectrum struggled with student participation. With Rochelle passing the torch to Jazmine, it helps mark a new start for the group.
“Overall, I’ve enjoyed my time as president,” Pense said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
If you are interested in Spectrum or the upcoming drag show, you can contact Jazmine Mileham, upcoming Spectrum president, at [email protected] or at Spectrum’s email, [email protected], as well as Spectrum’s Instagram, @millikinspectrum.
