By Maddie Parise
By 9 p.m. on Oct. 12, over 80 people had already packed into Grand Junction’s downtown bar, Barons. The bar is widely known throughout the area to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) friendly and regularly hosts drag shows at their venue.
This particular night however, the drag show was a bit different. Security and some performers of the evening were members of CMU’s fraternity, Kappa Sigma. The intent of the organization’s participation, titled “Boyz to [Wo]Men,” was to raise funds for the youth of Western Slope’s MOGII.
MOGII, which stands for Marginalized Orientations, Gender Identities, Intersex, strives to “create a resource site in support of Colorado’s Western Slope LGBTQ – MOGII – population and their families and friends,” according to their Facebook page. The group acts as a source of education and discussion for those who do not fall into the category of ‘gender binary’ (or the distinct classification of a masculine/feminine gender), as well as the people close to them.
Attendees of the event included those involved with Western Slope MOGII, those who came to support the fraternity and those who found entertainment within the bar’s ‘safe space’ atmosphere.
“I’m here for the cause,” student Shelby Cramer said. “I’m looking forward to seeing some frat guys embarrass themselves.”
The novelty of seeing fraternity members dressed in traditional drag attire was entertaining for many in the audience as well as beneficial for frequently marginalized people.
“I came to support my brothers who are a part of the show,” Kappa Sigma member Jake Melia said. “And I’ve always loved to support pridefest. […] I’m not [part of the LGBTQ community], but I support them and I respect them.”
Melia says his attendance was in part to pay tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting in June, as well as support for his cousin who is a member of the LGBTQ community.
The plan for the “Boyz to [Wo]Men” event was, according to a Facebook post by Kappa Sigma Sigma-Mu chapter president, James Smith-Allen, the result of a middle-of-the-night idea that occurred this summer which developed into an official function.
“This has been one of the most fun experiences I have ever had, while being one of the most nerve wracking,” Smith-Allen said.
Smith-Allen, who sported a bright blue wig, extravagant makeup and the alter ego ‘Emma Delight,’ was anxious about his performance in the event, but was thrilled to have participated afterward.
“I was so nervous that I was going to forget the words to the songs I had or forget the moves, but after the first 10 seconds I forgot all the worries and it became a blast,” Smith-Allen said.
Applause, cheers and hoots only paused during the intermission of the performances. Audience members jumped in at any opportunity to interact with the performing drag queens.
Dollar bills were thrown at the performers in return for a body grind or lap dance. Shots were consumed to the beat of the loud music and some attendees were able to participate in a dirty couple’s trivia game.
Despite the overtly sexual nature of the event, ground rules were adamant and explained by one of the night’s hosts, Delilah Delight.
The first rule was that Barons was a safe space. All sexual orientations were accepted, and even praised; the venue encouraged guests to simply ask for pronouns when meeting persons whose gender may be unclear.
The second rule was that audience members should not go onstage unless they were “giving us some f****** money,” said Delight.
The final rule was the emphasis of consent throughout the evening, even after leaving the bar.
“If you wanna grab me by the p****,” Delight said. “Baby, you gotta buy me a drink.”
After the initial informing of the night’s boundaries, the event showcased the talents of area drag queens as well as newly-queened Kappa Sigma brothers. The performers danced and sang to songs such as “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne, “Womanizer” by Britney Spears and “Barbie Girl” by Aqua.
“My feet and [calves] have never hurt more in my life,” Smith-Allen said after performing. “I will never make fun of my girlfriend ever again when she takes her heels off.”
Between the drink specials and the desire of many to pay for their friend’s lap dances, the evening was rowdy and entertaining. The queens kept the energy high by continuously asking the crowd for an ‘attitude check,’ to which they were to respond back with “F*** you, b****.”
One highlight of the performances was when Ima Delight poured a gallon of milk over the half-naked Delilah Delight during their choreography to the song “M.I.L.F$” by Fergie.
The Kappa Sigma brothers who attended all appeared to support and enjoy the festivities and readily jumped in on chances to dirty dance with the queens.
“[Kappa Sigma is] extremely happy with how things turned out and [we] hope to turn this into an annual thing,” said Smith-Allen. “We hope that we made a positive stride in breaking down negative stereotypes and showing people that [fraternities] are not what you see in movies and television.”
The evening’s total earnings were $953, $500 of which went to the youth MOGII community of the Western Slope.
