SNHU’s Generation Equality (GE) held their third annual Lip Sync Drag Show on Saturday, February 11 at the Last Chapter Pub.
The show was held from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., during which students were encouraged to help themselves to a taco bar, free Valentine’s Day themed candy and refreshments. This event was co-sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA) and the President’s Commission for LGBTQ Advocacy.
Host and drag queen Velvet kicked off the night with a dazzling performance of “This Joy” by Vernessa Mitchell. Other performances included Lottie Labelle’s take on “Into The Groove” by Madonna, Asa Akilla’s jaw-dropping rendition of “Greedy” by Ariana Grande, and much more. GE president and senior Aubrey Shimabukuro said, “The [Lip Sync Drag Show] is always a lot of fun. It’s a great event where everybody’s just welcoming and we open it up to the entire SNHU community.”
“We’ve been doing this event for three years…it’s changed since [the beginning of GE], so we’ve decided to kind of morph it into our own thing,” said Shimabukuro.
“Drag has always been a huge part of the LBGT community. It’s a great way to celebrate LGBT history and to have fun… People always really enjoy coming,” said Shimabukuro.
Drag queen participant Lottie Labelle said, “It was such a great experience to perform in front of other SNHU students. I never really get the opportunity to do drag at school, so it’s great to have events like this that bring students together and promote freedom of expression.”
Labelle added, “[The Lip Sync Drag Show] is a good start for people looking to break out of their comfort zone in a fun way…it was especially comforting to have such an accepting and energetic audience.”
The event drew in a full house of attendees. Among them was senior Emma L’Heureux, who said, “I wasn’t really sure what to expect, since I had only seen drag in photos. It was definitely a fun experience and I would go again if I had a chance.”
GE plans on continuing this tradition to showcase SNHU’s talented and passionate students.
