Annual BGLSA show draws large crowd
Students and drag fans alike packed PT’s 1109 Friday night to see who would be crowned Mr. and Miss Gaymecock at the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Straight Alliance’s annual pageant.
Drag king Mike Hawk and drag queen Koa Ardour strutted away with the titles of Mr. and Miss Gaymecock, respectively, impressing judges and spectators in three different categories.
Ardour said this wouldn’t be her last drag show.
“Winning this is giving me a chance to further my career in drag,” Ardour said.
The theme of the pageant this year was “Killer Queen” and all of the contestants had their “mug shots” up on TV screens in the bar throughout the night.
“I’m really nervous,” said Max Pleasure, a first-time drag performer. “I’ve never done this before but I’m excited,”
BGLSA President Mason Branham presented a $250 check to the Gamecock Pantry at the pageant. Branham, who was Miss Gaymecock 2012, and Megan Berry helped to organize the event.
“Miss Gaymecock is always an absolute joy, for you can literally see the look on freshmen’s faces as they realize that this campus is a safe and inclusive one,” Branham said. “We even had visitors from northern states who were pleasantly shocked that an event of this content and caliber exists at the University of South Carolina.”
The judges for this year’s Miss Gaymecock were USC’s Gamecock Gateway Coordinator Drew Newton, local drag queen Patti O’Furniture,and Executive Administrator of the Miss South Carolina Organization Chaz Ellis.
Constants were judged by three categories — “Gamecock Pride,” beauty and talent — along with the amount of tips they received. Audience members gave money as the contestants performed and all tips went to BGLSA.
Ebony Would, Max Pleasure, Dionna Cross, Mike Hawk and Koa Ardour competed for USC’s top drag title.
“My competition is really fierce and all very talented,” Would said. “We are all very different … I think it is going to be a great show and everyone is going to walk away being very entertained. I would be honored to lose to any of them.”
The first round of competition was “Gamecock Pride,” in which contestants showed off their school spirit and each had their biographies presented.
In between the events, there were performances by hosts Veronica la Blank, who also serves as Miss South Carolina Pride, and O’Furniture.
The next round was the beauty round, in which contestants were asked to answer a hypothetical question on the spot.
The final round was the talent portion. Each contestant chose a song to dance and lip-sync to.
Zach Anderson, a first-year biochemistry student, said he liked the show and that he was most excited to see the talent portion.