The Associated Students of Colorado State University and RamEvents brought drag to CSU in bingo form. The event took place Oct. 17 at the Lory Student Center Theater. It was hosted by Brittany Blaze-Shearz and Juiccy Misdemeanor with special appearances by Aurora M. Blaze and Miss Zarah Misdemeanor.

The event brought students together to watch the performances and gave participants a chance to win prizes, such as a stuffed ram, an ASCSU mug and clothing merchandise.

Energy was high as attendees chatted among themselves and enjoyed the food provided.

When asked what she was most excited about, CSU student Jackie Thompson said, “Winning!”

This event featured a mix of drag performances, bingo and an interactive bit that Juiccy and Brittany called “Get to Know a Queen.” They answered a wide variety of questions from the crowd, ranging from “Juiccy, what’s your misdemeanor?” to questions focused on their aspirations and important parts of drag.

“What makes a good drag queen a great drag queen is your behavior on and off stage,” Juiccy Misdemeanor said.

Throughout the event, the queens heavily emphasized the importance of kindness. They consistently spoke highly of each other and gave praise to other queens in the community. They work closely with each other, sharing advice and creative insights.

“When I was starting out in pageants, I was told drag is 90% what you do off stage and 10% what you do on stage,” Brittany Blaze-Shearz said. “Whether that’s making costumes, interacting with the crowd or interacting with venues. It definitely speaks a lot more about a person (and) what they do off stage versus on.”

The crowd eagerly engaged in the conversation, adding to the welcoming energy that filled the room. The support and kindness shown by the attendees and drag queens was widely felt.

“(It was) very lively, very enthusiastic, supportive (and) a nice comforting space for sure,” student Esther Ambrose said.

Many people discovered the event through social media and posters around campus. However, some gave kudos to the growth in marketing for such events.

Karla Garcia, a fourth-year student, said that even though there’s been events like this over the years, it has recently increased in popularity. She spoke about how the advertising has gotten better, and she knew about the event months in advance as opposed to hearing about it the week before.

Events like this greatly boost community engagement at Colorado State University. It can serve as an outlet for LGBTQIA+ students while opening the space for anyone else interested in learning more about the culture.

“In regards to the community, it just shouts that we are here and there’s a space for everybody,” Ambrose said. “We are all a family.” 

As evidenced by the event’s liveliness, Fort Collins’ drag scene has dramatically expanded.

“It’s booming; I’ve seen a lot of growth in the past couple of years,” Brittany Blaze-Shearz said.

During the event, each of the four queens performed with unique outfits, styles and music. They each brought energy and a strong personality that kept the audience entertained.

“It just comes to show the queer community is not one size fits all,” student Juan Hernandez said. “We are a plethora of different identities — a little crock pot of everything.”

As more events pop up around Fort Collins, the community will have more opportunities to attend and show support for this unique art form.

“Supporting local drag is the only way a lot of us end up on (RuPaul’s) Drag Race, (The Boulet Brothers’) Dragula or Camp Wannakiki — any of those places,” Blaze-Shearz said.