PHOTOS: Birdcage features 'RuPaul’s Drag Race' contestant Kenya Pleaser in its 28th year

Drag performer Kenya Pleaser lip-syncs to a Lizzo song during the Birdcage drag show in the Russell House Ballroom on April 14, 2026. Kenya Pleaser appeared as a contestant on the 18th season of "RuPaul’s Drag Race."

Drag queen Gouda Judy performs and lip-syncs on stage April 14, 2026, in the Russell House Ballroom. All the drag performers who attended the event were from South Carolina.

Second-year marine science student Ashley Zinsley gets her face painted before the drag performance begins in the Russell House Ballroom on April 14, 2026. IRIS, a social advocacy organization at USC, hosted Birdcage and provided pride flags, fans, balloons and snacks for anyone who attended.

Drag queen Vertigo takes $1 tips from audience members during Birdcage in the Russell House Ballroom on April 14, 2026. Those attending were provided a cash exchange so audience members wanting to tip performers could exchange CashApp or Venmo amounts for $1 bills.

Drag queen Susu Serenity struts down the stage after an outfit change in the Russell House Ballroom on April 14, 2026. Birdcage is one of the last of IRIS’s LGBTQ+ events each spring semester.

Drag queen Indigo Fields performs one last time as the Gaymecock Pageant winner at Birdcage on April 14, 2026, at the Russell House Ballroom. USC drag performers competing in this year’s Gaymecock Pageant were able to walk across the stage at Birdcage.

Drag queen Elena DeVorr performs to a Lady Gaga song at Birdcage on April 14, 2026, in the Russell House Ballroom. This is the 28th annual year of IRIS hosting the drag show at the university.

Audience members at Birdcage cheer for the drag performers in the Russell House Ballroom on April 14, 2026. The event was free for anyone to attend.