by Chandler Eckert

All semester, PRIDE of the PRIDE has been hosting a series of community nights every Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Alumni Dining Hall. These events aim to bring students together and form a proper community on campus that can not only help the greater community but also provide support to their peers. On March 18, PRIDE of the PRIDE hosted a Community Night Drag Dinner with performances, activities and discussions. The local drag performer, Mx Princexx Peritwinkle (ze/zir) performed for Greensboro College and enlightened our community on drag performers and transgender safety.

The event consisted of two activities: a brief overview of drag history and its importance to the queer community today and a fun make-your-own drag performer worksheet. Mx Princexx Peritwinkle performed three songs in outfits all created by zim and led the discussions on the importance of a safe space and representation. “Greensboro College reminds me of the college I went to. A small, religious school where everyone knows everyone. We never had a group like this on campus, never mind events like this with drag queens,” Mx Princexx Peritwinkle told students between performances.

What ze is saying is true for millions of queer youth in America alone. Only a small number of schools and towns have groups like the PRIDE of the PRIDE readily available to queer youth to partake and experience in. Queer youth, especially queer youth of color, need to see people like them – not just in media but in their day-to-day lives. Inviting drag performers is a great way to do that, but so is the simple inclusion of things like PRIDE of the PRIDE or the Greensboro Green Foundation.

Things we can do in our lives every day: respecting names and pronouns, listening and believing trans people when we say things, learning and engaging with us and our community, but most importantly just accepting us for who we are. Trans people are people too, and now more than ever we need to embrace and celebrate that.