Big Wigs’ drag queen entertains crowd at D.R.A.G. trivia

Well+known+drag+queen%2C+Coco+from+Big+Wigs+bar%2C+talks+to+the+crowd+in+the+M-Shop+Nov.+15%2C+2022.

Joseph Dicklin

Well known drag queen, Coco from Big Wigs bar, talks to the crowd in the M-Shop Nov. 15, 2022.

Drag queen Coco led a trivia night at the Maintenance Shop with high energy and witty jokes, while accompanied by  students from the Public Relations Campaign, PR 424, class passing out LGBTQIA+ resources and education.

This event was a part of PR 424’s D.R.A.G. campaign, Dedicated to Rising Against Gender Violence. Students of the class stood outside the doors before the event to recruit anyone walking past as competitors.

Attendees were provided with D.R.A.G. mugs, popcorn and drinks.

The five-person committee for D.R.A.G. Trivia Night spent two weeks planning and promoting the event.

“It’s been beneficial for students to learn more about these issues that affect such a large part of our, not only our community, but community as a whole throughout the world,” said Julie Nagel, D.R.A.G. Trivia Night committee member. “Raising this kind of awareness for the targeted violence helps us come together as a community with education. That’s our big goal, is that we are trying to create a connected community through education and awareness of resources.”

Along with spreading awareness for LGBTQIA+ violence, D.R.A.G. Night Trivia was also a place for students to come together and show their support for the community.

“I’m queer myself so I wanted to come out and be a part of the community,” said Jaiden Jarmosco, a junior in women’s and gender studies.

Jarmosco teamed up with Gabe Murphy, a senior in mechanical engineering, and Alex Brown, a junior in environmental science. They attended in support of the students running the event, as well as being interested in LGBTQIA+ topics.

“I’ve been to some drag events before; I’ve been to big wigs and I’ve always thought that stuff was cool,” Murphy said.

Ten teams, each with five to seven members, competed for 90 minutes for the grand prize of gift cards to Starbucks and Target.

“If we see you cheating, we will call you out,” Coco said. “And probably hang you by your toenails at the front of the stage.”

The game started off simple, asking what the letters in LGBTQIA+ stand for. Team WWE took the first point, answering lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex and asexual.

One question that stumped most of the group was about the year same-sex attraction was no longer considered a mental disorder, which happened in 1992.

Some other question topics included gay marriage laws, RuPaul Drag Race, the first pride marches and on-campus resources. Some resources highlighted were Pride Alliance, Socialize with Pride and The Center for LGBTQIA+ Student Success.

“It was a fantastic turnout,” Nagel said. “We had a packed house, which was absolutely amazing.”

The team in third place was The Best, in second was The Wild Things and the night’s winner was WWE. Each team won five gift cards. A drawing at the end gave attendees another chance to win gift cards and D.R.A.G. T-shirts.