After many conversations and exploring several options, the UWM LGBTQ+ Resource Center has decided to cancel this spring’s Drag Show. The Resource Center has not made this decision lightly; it was motivated by a desire to serve the LGBTQ+ student community at UWM as effectively as possible. The decision will allow the Resource Center to support UWM students with more programming, one-on-one appointments and focused events.
The show has been a campus tradition for more than 20 years, and the Resource Center is proud that it has meant so much to so many people. But the center also recognizes the need to reconcile the event’s popularity with the time and cost to plan and host it, while still serving the broader needs of the campus community. In previous years, the Drag Show took up more of the center’s budget than all other programming combined. It was run almost entirely by the center’s staff, which placed significant limits on spring semester programming and support.
The center is also aware that this decision comes at a time when some states are banning drag performances and passing laws that limit the freedoms of LGBTQ+ individuals. This decision is centered on better supporting LGBTQ+ students with resources. “This was already being considered long before the national controversy surrounding drag performances came to the forefront,” said Ariana Myers, director of the LGBTQ+ Resource Center. “This was entirely a matter of how to best serve our community, given our budget and labor capacity.”
The Resource Center wants to emphasize its ongoing support for similar events and programming on campus. The center is co-sponsoring “Deafies in Drag” with UWM’s Signing Student Association on April 22, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the UWM Student Union’s Wisconsin Room. The performance will combine ASL and drag.
Reallocating resources previously used for the annual show means the Resource Center can offer more direct support in other areas, such as:
Affinity Group Series: Lunch discussions for students to connect with others who share their identities, discuss issues on campus and beyond, and obtain mutual support. This is designed to build community on campus, as well as to facilitate addressing issues on behalf of students.
Emergency Grants: In collaboration with the Dean of Students Office, the LGBTQ+ Resource Center has funded a grant for students who are experiencing barriers to their enrollment based on gender, romantic or sexual identity. This is designed to boost retention for LGBTQ+-identified students.
Educational Workshops: The center’s professional staff members provide workshops and training for UWM faculty, staff and students that promote understanding and competency in supporting LGBTQ+ students and colleagues.
The LGBTQ+ Resource Center is dedicated to providing social-justice-based education, resources, programming and support for students of all genders and orientations. Please reach out to the center at peerout@uwm.edu for support, questions and more information.
