Audience members stuffed dollar bills in contestants' outfits to raise money for local homeless shelters at Saturday's biannual drag show.
More than 400 people helped Spectrum raise $674 as nine performers danced and lip synced in Ball Gymnasium, Jaime Whitaker, Spectrum vice president, said. Spectrum is going to try to donate to both homeless shelters in Muncie because one accepts men of any sexual orientation and the other accepts all women, including lesbians.
Whitaker, known as Avery Leigh Wirthmore when in drag, walked onto a Las Vegas-themed stage decorated with large handmade dice he made himself. He danced and lip synced to a mix of Celine Dion songs to honor the frequent Vegas headliner.
Whitaker took home the awards of Best Queen and Miss Congeniality and senior visual communications major Lucas Smith, performing as Oliver Klothesoff, won Best King.
First year drag kings and queens can perform one solo performance and one group performance and returning drag queens can perform two solo acts and one group act. Whitaker and Smith performed a Black Eyed Peas mix and dressed up like Fergie and will.i.am.
Whitaker said he has performed as a drag queen five times for Spectrum and also at a few different bars in his home town of Lafayette, Ind.
"They kind of act like I'm a celebrity sometimes," he said. "Not that I didn't want that, but I could live without being treated like that, but people saying that I have touched their lives so much and inspired them - that's the biggest gift of all."
Drag performers work on choreography, lip syncing and costumes before the show. Smith said he spent five hours painting zebra print on his pants, but the amount of time he took getting ready as a drag king doesn't compare to how long it takes for drag queens.
Whitaker said he remembers his first time on stage at Air Jam one year.
"I was completely and utterly scared to death the first time I did it, especially seeing how as the first time I performed in drag, it was on Emens stage" he said. "I had never done make up before, so I looked pretty ugly."
Smith referred to performing in drag as a panic attack and a confidence booster at the same time.
"Some people probably don't understand it and think it is weird and creepy," he said. "It's like, 'You don't understand it, and you honestly aren't taking the time to, which is fine because that's your decision, but I'm not going to not do it because you are uncomfortable with it.'"
The drag show wrapped up Spectrum's week of events. Throughout the week, Spectrum brought speakers to campus, an Olympic like evening of events called Rainbow games and a LGBTQ-friendly prom.
"I think [they need] to just be informed on the situations at hand and knowing what the [LGTBQ] needs from the straight community and all communities," he said. "I think it is good to build a bond so that you know we can all be friends and eliminate all of the hate from the world."
Best Queen - Avery Leigh Wirthmoore
Best King - Oliver Klothesoff
Miss Congeniality - Avery Leigh Wirthmoore
Crowd Favorite - Baby Olivia
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