More than 400 students dressed in otherworldly costumes, glitter and drag came out on Friday night for the fourth annual Drag Ball in Space at Boston University at Metcalf Hall in the George Sherman Union.
Hosted by Spectrum, the event aimed to promote tolerance toward gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students across campus, said organizers College of Arts and Sciences junior Katherine Law and College of Engineering senior Tom Hall.
Students could dress not only in drag, but also space-themed clothes or whatever they felt comfortable partying in.
Law said she learned a lot about drag and GLBT culture at the Drag Ball, which she said reflects a growing trend among American colleges to throw “drag”-themed events.
Jessica Boven, a CAS junior, said that the almost overwhelming room of rainbow and glitter was not something she was likely to see at home in the South, but that she enjoyed it so much that she has attended it every year she’s been at BU.
Boven said she has gone to the dance dressed as both a man and a woman.
“Either is fine with me,” she said. “I just love getting dressed up more than anything.”
Law said that the ball, which was voted the most popular student event last year, offers an outlet for students, and promotes safe, open social events for GLBT students and their allies.
Organizers and partygoers both said that they appreciate that BU is open to all sexually oriented people. Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore even made an appearance as the party was starting.
After a medley of Nicki Minaj songs by local Boston Drag Queen Fena Barbitall , contestants performed their own numbers dressed in drag.
School of Management sophomore Elliot Cintron performed a drag routine for the first time using the name “Sofonda Cox.”
Cintron called the experience “amazing” and said he wanted to try it because he was joining a frat and wanted to set himself apart from the other pledges.
“All the frats need guys who can perform,” Cintron said.
Despite some delays and slightly fewer attendees than last year, Spectrum members said they thought that the event was a success.
“I’m not surprised by the positive reaction we get about the Drag Ball,” Law said. “I expect people to be tolerant and understanding. I’m more surprised when they’re not.”
Barbitoll told students that it was BU’s tolerant atmosphere that made her want to return for a second year. After saying how much she loved coming to BU because of the enthusiasm and openness of the students, she asked the audience to join hands and reminded them to continue to be “united and so strong against hate.”
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
