Quest University students are hosting the school’s first drag show.
The Tantalus Teasers: See more than the sky, is on Dec. 8 in the multipurpose room on campus and all of Squamish is invited.
The show opens with an educational component, where the dynamic history of drag is explained in relation to trans people, explained Rivka Landsberg, artistic director of the show and a fourth year Quest student.
Historically, there have been some drag shows that have been discriminatory against trans people and so organizers want to be explicit this is not that type of show, Landsberg said.
“Trans identity is something that people live with every day and it’s how they feel true to themselves and it also means they are in a body that makes them feel not as safe,” she said. “We just want to be really explicit about the history of trans people and the history of drag… and where they mix together.”
The rest of the show is “a classic drag variety show” with about 10 cast members.
“You’ll see some comedy, some dancing, some spoken word,” Landsberg added.
Drag kings and queens will be performing.
The event is a fundraiser for Safe’n Sound Squamish, the LGBTQ lobby, support and education group.
While Vancouver and Whistler have had plenty of public diverse celebrations and performances, Squamish hasn’t traditionally had as many. The drag show will bring diversity to a home stage, according to Krista Lambie, a Safe n’ Sound board member.
“A key thing that drag does is by rejecting the distinction of dressing like a boy or girl, man or woman, it is really pushing against that traditional conception that gender is binary and static,” she said.
“It is really saying no, it is not binary and it is fluid and showcases that.”
Lambie added that the Quest show fits nicely with aspects of the group’s mandate, which arose out of what founding youth said they wanted when the group formed.
“We want the community to have a greater awareness of LGBTQ individuals and issues, we want increased education in our community, we want greater visibility and we want resources,” Lambie recounted. “I think that performances like this really play to… awareness and visibility.”
The funds raised will help support this year’s focus on educational Safe’n Sound initiatives.
The group will continue to host competency training workshops, for example, that address ways families and employers can be more inclusive.
“How can you increase inclusion and support for LGBTQ+ folks in your home, in your workplace, in your everyday life,” Lambie explained. So far, more than 160 community members have taken the training.
Organizations and businesses can reach out to the group for this type of training.
To learn more or to contact Safe’n Sound Squamish go to www.safensoundsquamish.com.
The Tantalus Teasers: See more than the sky, is on Dec. 8th starting at 8:30 p.m. in Quest’s multipurpose room. Entrance is by donation at the door.
