On Saturday, Oct. 24, the Associated Students Program Board (ASPB) and the LGBT Resource Center (LGBTRC) hosted a virtual Q&A event with Bob the Drag Queen, the season 8 winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and the host of HBO’s “We’re Here.” The event ran from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., and it featured a Highlander Drag Pre-Show, with students Wright Wicked and Crescent Rose.
The event kicked off with the Highlander Drag Pre-Show. Both the performers showed pre-prepared videos of them dressed to impress in masks, makeup and gowns. Wright Wicked gave a fantastic dance performance to some classic Disney villain songs, and Crescent Rose showed off their dance moves to Kate Bush’s “Suspended in Gaffa.” After each video, both performers opened up about their experiences with drag, and then, Bob the Drag Queen made his appearance. Bob the Drag Queen goes by she/her and he/his pronouns.
During the Q&A sessions, selected students were allowed to turn their cameras on and ask Bob the Drag Queen any questions that they had. The questions ranged from the number of wigs he owned to his experience being on television. He also opened up about being nonbinary. When one student asked what his favorite part of doing drag was, Bob the Drag Queen revealed that the best part was seeing each performance move people while also making others laugh.
Everyone that attended was respectful during this portion of the event. Throughout it all, Bob the Drag Queen had some friendly banter with many of the students that asked him questions. He took the time to compliment people’s looks or ask them where they were calling from. It was interesting to hear how many people were watching the Zoom meeting from outside of Riverside, and it was good to see that events like this one were still bringing UCR students together.
In all, the evening was full of lighthearted fun. The Zoom audience repeatedly gave positive feedback to the performers and Bob the Drag Queen. Hopefully, there are more events like this in the future as they incorporated student and celebrity performances well. Sashay away, everybody.
