Drag at Whitman
DragFest - A Long Running Tradition:
For over twenty years, one event was the capstone of LGBTQ+ activism and programming on campus. DragFest, as the event was called, went through a number of changes in its long history at Whitman but managed to remain a staple of Whitman student life the entire time. Started by Whitman’s Gay and Lesbian Association in about 1992, it was taken over by Coalition Against Homophobia. DragFest was a dance, meant to encourage students to play with gender for a night and dress up as the ‘other’ gender for a bit. Since it began as the final event in a week-long LGBTQ+ community education program, it was a fun and hopefully playful way for queer students to carve out a little space for themselves on campus.
However, in the 2000s, questions and debates began to emerge as some LGBTQ+ students felt that DragFest had been taken over by straight students and didn’t represent drag culture. DragFest had moved away from Pride week or month activities by the mid-2000s, so new events were added to try to educate the community more about drag culture and transgender issues. However, it was still a highly popular all-student dance and continued on despite some misgivings. DragFest was a Whitman tradition and one that wouldn’t disappear easily.
DragFest 1993
One of the first DragFest events, the 1993 dance was held at the Spanish House. As the event gained popularity, it was quickly moved to bigger and bigger buildings, eventually taking over the student center.
DragFest Poster 1996
By the mid-nineties, DragFest had already become a staple of Whitman student life, needing no explanations on their posters (such as this one) to draw in crowds of excited students.
DragFest Article 1996
Throughout its many years, DragFest, which was mainly a student dance, also included a competition for best drag "king" and "queen" outfits.
DragFest Controversies
Due to its popularity, DragFest faced a lot of criticism. This 1996 article argued that DragFest made a "false impression" on visitors that made Whitman seem like a "gay haven." Debate ensued over whether that was a good or a bad thing, for the school and for students.
DragFest 2009
Although debate continued to rage through the 2000s about whether DragFest was worth continuing, it continued to draw (often poorly-costumed) students.
DragFest 2010
DragFest went through a lot of changes in its long history. Initially part of LesBiGay week, a community education event put on by the Gay and Lesbian Association, it quickly was moved to be a stand-alone event. However, questions about the purpose and usefulness of DragFest led to more pre-dance activities being added onto the schedule in the mid-2000s.
DragFest Quotes
Transcript of the excerpts from interviews with Wolf, Shay, Stone, Schwendiman and MacFife that discuss their experiences with and thoughts on DragFest
GLBTQ's Update on a Tradition:
By 2014, Coalition Against Homophobia had dissolved, which put the future of DragFest into jeopardy. Instead of ditching the event, GLBTQ decided to update it again. Dropping the dance that had been so popular, the LGBTQ+ student group instead focused the event on a drag show, called DragTastica, and offered pre-show activities like a drag makeup tutorial.
This version of the event proved appealing to the Whitman community as well and the event added more educational elements to the build-up to the drag show. GLBTQ kept the show running, as it was a vibrant and attention-getting event that helped build LGBTQ+ community on campus. Still, even a long running event like DragFest/DragTastica can run up against planning problems and the show has not been held for a couple years, despite student interest in recreating some kind of drag show on campus.
