Burlington High School in Vermont came out in support of the LGBTQ+ community last Friday by hosting a halftime drag show at its annual homecoming football game. By all accounts, it was a crowd pleaser, with students in the stands sporting rainbow colors and flags, and the home team, the Seawolves, winning over St. Johnsbury Hilltoppers by 35-14.
The home team includes players from Burlington, Winooski and South Burlington high schools. Students from South Burlington joined BHS students, faculty and staff to put on the show, according to a pre-game article in VTDigger.
“High-contact sports can sometimes have this warrior ethos to them, so I think it’s wonderful to have the juxtaposition of having another perspective of what’s traditionally been effeminate,” Burlington High English teacher Andrew LeValley, an advisor for the school’s Gender-Sexuality Alliance (GSA), told VTDigger.
Reported VTDigger:
“The idea was inspired by ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ a popular TV show in which drag queens compete for the title of America’s next drag superstar through a series of challenges. LeValley was talking about the show with a friend when she mentioned the idea of a drag show at Burlington High.
“‘I said, ‘That’s brilliant,’ and then it just snowballed from there,’ said LeValley, who brought up the idea with Principal Lauren McBride and Athletic Director Quaron Pinckney, who were enthusiastic about it.”
“The event [featured] Burlington and South Burlington students from the Gender-Sexuality Alliance, student-athletes, allies, faculty and staff. …
“Drag is not just about dressing in clothes that oppose someone’s gender identity; it’s about creating a safe space for a personal identity that might not be celebrated in other spaces. LeValley said this core tenet of drag culture has driven the production of the upcoming show.
“‘We really tried to stay true to the authenticity of what drag is, which is loving yourself in a world where you can’t always love that part of yourself,’” LeValley said.
Read the complete article at vtdigger.com; you can also check out the spectacular, spirited show posted on YouTube.
Not a subscriber? Sign up today for a free subscription to Boston Spirit magazine, New England’s premier LGBT magazine. We will send you a copy of Boston Spirit six times per year and we never sell/rent our subscriber information. Click HERE to sign up!
