On Monday, May 12th, the Gender and Sexuality Justice Team held Drag History Night in the Diversions room of the Stevenson Union. Featuring performances by two local drag artists, the night was an exciting and informative way to learn more about the art and history of drag.
The night opened with performances by drag king Southern Charm and drag queen Luci LaVicious, both local performers part of the Haus of LaVicious drag house. Drag houses are groups of drag performers, led by a head “Mother” or “Father.” They have their origins in ballroom culture, an integral part of drag culture created by Black and Latine artists in the 60s in response to the judges of many drag pageants being overwhelmingly white.
After the performances, one of the event leads gave a presentation about the history of drag. It was a greatly informative presentation that managed to give a brief run-down of an art form with a rich and unique history. Attendees were then able to play a Kahoot! with information from the presentation, with the top three winners earning prizes.
The night finished off with second performances from Southern Charm and Luci LaVicious. Southern Charm did an entertaining and inventive dance piece to “The Giver” by Chappell Roan; Luci LaVicious’ performance to “Kill da DJ” by Nicki Minaj was brimming with personality. Both artists were hits with the audience, which is to be expected given these two seasoned performers.
The Haus of LaVicious frequently hosts drag events in the Rogue Valley, with their home base being Rockafairy in Medford. Their next event is their popular Play Haus, an event with performances by five pre-determined artists, then five more night-of artists. Anyone is welcome to attend and sign up to perform regardless of experience and skill level. Whether you want to give drag a try or simply watch ten incredible performances, you won’t want to miss this event. It takes place May 22 from 7:30 p.m–10:00 p.m at Rockafairy. Southern Charm and Luci LaVicious can also be found performing at the upcoming Body Ball, hosted by the SOU Queer Student Union. If you want to keep up with the Haus of LaVicious, you can find them on Instagram at @haus.of.lavicious.
