Gallery: Drag show colors the night

By Morgan Timms, Anna Spoerre and Athena Chrysanthou
February 26, 2017

Peyton Kross, of Little Rock, Arkansas, points to the crowd while in the character of Lady Boi on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, during the Golden Gays Drag show in the Student Center. “Honestly drag has really helped me figure out who I am as a person,” Kross said. “With any gay kid growing up, you struggle with being too feminine or too this or too that. Drag has really put into perspective that yes, I have feminine qualities, but that doesn’t make me wrong or sinful. So drag has really just given me this incredible creative outlet. It’s performance, it’s music, it’s fashion, it’s hairstyling – all these things that I love so much and I found a way to bring them together.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
Kara Belle, a drag queen from Champaign who helped begin Saluki Rainbow Network’s drag show in 2002, and Jacob Hayes, whose stage name is Veronica, get ready for the drag show Friday, Feb. 25, 2017, before the Golden Gays Drag Show in the Student Center. (Anna Spoerre | @annaspoerre)
Da’Veon Burtin, a senior from Chicago studying theater, applies contour makeup while preparing to become Rain Garnette Moore Foxx on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, before the start of the Golden Gays Drag Show in the Student Center. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
Kara Belle, a drag queen from Champaign who helped begin Saluki Rainbow Network’s drag show in 2002, and Da’Veon Burtin, a senior from Chicago studying theater whose stage name is Rain Garnette Moore Foxx, get ready Friday, Feb. 25, 2017, before the Golden Gays Drag Show in the Student Center. (Anna Spoerre | @annaspoerre)
Peyton Kross, of Little Rock, Arkansas, who performs as Lady Boi, applies hairspray Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, before the Golden Gays Drag Show in the Student Center. (Athena Chrysanthou | @Chrysant1Athena)
Julie Socorro, of Murphysboro, who performs as Faim Lee Jewls, fixes her outfit Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, before the Golden Gays Drag Show in the Student Center. (Athena Chrysanthou | @Chrysant1Athena)
Kara Belle, a drag queen from Champaign who helped begin Saluki Rainbow Network’s drag show in 2002, performs for the crowd Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017 during the Golden Gays Drag show in the Student Center. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
Jacob Hayes, who performs as Veronica, takes money from members of the audience Friday, Feb. 25, 2017, during the Golden Gays Drag Show in the Student Center. (Anna Spoerre | @annaspoerre)
Jacob Hayes, whose stage name is Veronica, performs on stage Friday, Feb. 25, 2017, during the Golden Gays Drag Show in the Student Center. (Anna Spoerre | @annaspoerre)
Peyton Kross, of Little Rock, Arkansas, performs as Lady Boi on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, during the Golden Gays Drag Show in the Student Center. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
Peyton Kross, of Little Rock, Arkansas, reaches for a bill while in the character of Lady Boi on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, during the Golden Gays Drag Show in the Student Center. “Drag is purely artistic expression,” Kross said. “When theater people dress up as characters of a play, we dress up as the most ridiculous women we can imagine. Whether you’re trying to be sexy or funny or scary, it’s using femininity as a juxtaposition. Most of what we’re saying and we’re doing is calling attention to these people who don’t believe in gender abnormalities.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
Peyton Kross, of Little Rock, Arkansas, takes a dollar bill from the mouth of August Bishop, a junior from Mundelein studying fashion design merchandising. The two performed as Lady Boi and the Captian on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, during the Golden Gays Drag show in the Student Center. (Anna Spoerre | @annaspoerre)
Da’Veon Burtin, a senior from Chicago studying theater, takes a break from applying makeup to smoke a cigarette Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, before the Golden Gays Drag Show in the Student Center. Burtin said his cigarette breaks are an integral to his preparation routine and transformation into Rain Garnette Moore Foxx. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
Da’Veon Burtin, a senior from Chicago studying theater, does a hair flip while performing as Rain Garnette Moore Foxx on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, during the Golden Gays Drag show in the Student Center. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
Da’Veon Burtin, a senior from Chicago studying theater, performs as Rain Garnette Moore Foxx on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, during the Golden Gays Drag show in the Student Center. (Anna Spoerre | @annaspoerre)
Crumpled dollar bills and a wig lay on a bench packed with makeup Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, during the Golden Gays Drag Show in the Student Center. (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)
Peyton Kross, of Little Rock, Arkansas, takes a selfie while in the character of Lady Boi on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, during a break in the Golden Gays Drag Show in the Student Center. “Right now is our time to be as loud as possible,” Kross said. “Whenever someone’s oppressing you or bullying you, you don’t get scared and cower in a corner. You fight back or you’re not going to get anywhere. So right now with the concerns and fears that are circulating, it really is our time to be as bold and as crazy and as statement-making as possible. That’s why I have giant neon yellow hair on right now.” (Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms)

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