Dressed in a white 1970s-style women's suit with matching pumps, Serenity walked from the back of the Ball Gymnasium and took the stage with an air of confidence, spinning and dancing to "Music Inferno" by Madonna.
The Drag Show: Extreme Makeover's purpose was to have a good time, get Spectrum's name out as well as raise money for the Damien Center of Indianapolis, Travis Schilla, sophomore and Spectrum parliamentarian said. Spectrum, the organization that sponsored the event, serves as a support group for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and straight ally students on the Ball State University campus. More than 600 people attended the show Saturday night and raised more than $500 for the center, which is an organization that helps AIDS patients.
"It's not so much one of the activist events that we like to do," Schilla said, "but it is certainly something that gets our name out there, as you can tell by the crowd that we had." Spectrum President Zac Davis said it is the largest charity event that the organization does. Spectrum decided to donate to the Damien Center because of what the organization stands for, he said.
"We really want to support them and they have been a really good advocate for us as well," Davis said. "So really it is a great opportunity for us to do a benefit show and also in a fun manner where people feel like they can donate."
Two weeks ago, Spectrum held a screening for performers, but the acts and all the elements came together at the last minute.
"Basically we got here early, and we just powered through it for a couple of hours and put this whole thing together." Schilla said.
Males dressed as females were drag queens, and females dressed as males were drag kings.
The performances by the drag queens and kings ranged from Kelis' "Bossy" to N*SYNC's "Pop," and included a live rendition of "And I'm Telling You," performed by Princess Ana Crusis.
Schilla performed as Miss Puzzy Willow to the song "Bossy" because he said the song was written for him.
"I chose that song because I am pretty sure it was written about me," he said. "I'm a boss. So when I first heard that song, I was like, this is my song and if I do the drag show this is the song that I am doing."
After drag queen Janet Dickson's second act, an audience member approached the stage and requested an encore for a $50 donation to the Damien Center.
Besides doing the biannual drag show, Spectrum does other activities throughout the year, Davis said.
"Beyond that, we like to do a lot of community service and outreach toward campus to get our names up there and show that we are not the big, creepy gays."
The event, Davis said, also serves as a way for people to see what Spectrum is about.
"I think that is really positive because it gives a really good impression of us to people," he said. "[People] get exposure and see that it's a culture and not this problem, not a disease."
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