With many in the LGBT+ community feeling a state of uneasiness due to tensions all over the nation, the Fairfield University Alliance Club put together a show to bring the Fairfield community together. On Friday April 6, Miss Bella, a drag performer from Queens, N.Y. brought the house down with the show “Gender Whatever” at The Levee to celebrate embracing gender nonconformity.
The night started with music, food and interactions amongst the attendees followed by several lip sync performances by Miss Bella such as “Just Like a Pill” by P!nk, “Papa Don’t Preach” by Madonna and “S&M” by Rihanna as requested.
Many members of the Fairfield community attended and the room was filled with cheers for both Miss Bella and the student contests for the best runway walk. With the most applause from the audience for the best model on runway walk contest, Liam O’Donnell, a Sacred Heart University student, rocking red high knee boots won against three other contestants.
Miss Bella interacted really well with the audience, and while a few people left halfway through the show, most agreed that this was a good way to bring the LGBT+ community together. Overall, the ambience was great, the spirit of community could be felt and Miss Bella’s fun spirit got everyone off their seats to dance to “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” part way through the performance.
As successful as the event was, there were moments that raised concerns. Several members of the audience harassed Miss Bella with crude jokes at one point, but she did not let it bother her much. Instead, she roasted them in a manner that was both professional as well as amusing to the audience.
Senior Marcia Momperousse, the president of Alliance, along with the rest of the team saw this event as a moment of celebration. When asked why this is so important for the Fairfield body, Momperousse said, “We just feel like it is okay to bend the rules on gender binaries and this is also good way to just have fun and not worry about finals or life.”
This event, according to Momperousse, was a success because of the hard work of all of the members of Alliance, particularly Daniel Swanson ‘20, the club’s treasurer. The club also involved other schools such as Sacred Heart University, whose students also showed up to show their support. Jean-Luc Sebai, a senior at SHU said, “I had a good time and felt that it was a safe place for both those who identify with the LGBT+ community and those who don’t.”
The show did not happen overnight, stated Swanson, who admitted to have been planning this event since January. He said “Drag is a huge component of the LGBT+ community and it is important to have fun in times of uneasiness.” Kayla Craig ‘19 said “this is good for visibility and to remind people that we are not monsters” when asked why she came to support the show.
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