Drag and ballroom culture have always been important to the queer community. The first ballroom event, The Haunted Ballroom, was held on Oct. 20 in the Hill. The event was put on by the Lion Pride Association and D.R.A.G Club, with help from LGBTSS.
The Hill was transformed into a spooky, glittery drag runway. When you entered, you were offered a light-up bracelet of your choice, and red and black streams lined the doorway. Inside, there was a sparkly silver runway running along the floor. A photo booth was offered with a gold sparkly background for anyone who wanted to commemorate this event.
The first part of the night was the runway, where anyone was invited to come up and show off their walk, followed up by the Vogue performances. Everyone who participated were given 10s across the board from the judges. “Being on the runway, the energy was just everything…this is a whole other ballgame, and everyone’s so supportive, and it was just so fun,” Maya Rivera, who took the runway multiple times, said.
Michael Jones, head of the Lion Pride Association, said “The Haunted Ballroom initially was aiming to bring the ballroom scene to the LMU campus…[to] teach people and try to allow people to immerse themselves into the culture.” He explained that in his time at LMU, he discovered that there were a lot of students, especially queer students, who did not know much about ballroom culture and what it consists of.
Lion Pride Association strives to build connections and celebrate queer culture. Jones said “With things we do with Lion Pride Association in general is to foster a sense of community and belonging, and, for LGBT plus students and allies, and just, you know, giving them a space where they can be themselves and come as they are and not have to worry about [who’s] judging, who’s looking.”
Overall, Jones wants to make sure that students feel welcome on campus. “You are perfect the way that you are. You’re welcome in these spaces. And the university, you know, has an obligation to make everybody feel included. So that’s why it’s just so important because it’s a space, especially for queer students, because what queer people in general have experiences where they don’t feel like they belong in places,” said Jones. Which is why Jones runs the Lion Pride Association and makes sure that events like this are made available on campus.
Lion Pride Association, D.R.A.G Club, and LGBTSS are all founded in providing safe spaces for everyone on campus. Their events are about inclusion for everyone, and most importantly, having fun in the community.
