Drag is the hardest sport, said Code Pink organizer Blake Summers.
“It’s like football, but you have a wig on, and it’s bouncing on your head while you’re also singing and connecting with people,” Summers said. “And you’re doing it in high heels on top of that.”
Now imagine doing that for the first time in front of an audience.
Eight performers did just that at Code Pink’s first “Open Stage” drag show on Friday, Feb. 28 at Proud Larry’s. Fourteen performers from Oxford and Starkville, Miss., took the stage with varying levels of experience.
Established in 2016, Code Pink hosts LGBTQ+ dance nights with drag performances once a month on the Square, alternating between the Lyric and Proud Larry’s.
A star of the night was first-time performer Sara Problem, who wowed the crowd with a fast-paced choreographed routine to Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love,” complete with an outfit reveal and background dancers.
Brice Stone, who performed as Problem, has a background in theater and dance. Stone said the experience challenged him on a personal level.
“I wanted to try something that felt so far outside my comfort zone,” Stone said. “I am an outgoing person when I step onto the stage, but outside of that, I am very reserved and very quiet.”
Summers commended the first-time performers on their debuts, regardless of their experience level.
“When people start (doing drag), it’s so fresh and green,” Summers said. “It’s not always good, but it’s high creativity and sometimes the best they can do or the best with what they have. And that’s where drag started. It’s where people with little money can live that fantasy. They can be that rich person for three minutes, to the best of their ability.”
In addition to first-time performers, the show also included some Code Pink regulars, such as Jaquavious Lee, who performs in drag as Lady Pluto.
Lee reflected on their role in the Oxford drag community.
“Seeing younger people getting into drag is bittersweet because it’s like, ‘Okay, I’m not the new girl in town anymore,’” Lee said. “But then there’s another part that’s like it’s so great that queer activities, like drag, can still survive despite drag bans.”
Lee also reflected on the growth of Code Pink over the years.
“Think about it: Oxford, Mississippi,” Lee said. “There used to just be five of us: me, Jay Lee, Kotah Kai, Saturn Vendetta and Mari Cone. And to think that I just put on a show with 12 Oxford girls, it’s great.”
Drag is not only great for community building, but it can also present personal benefits to the performers, such as increasing self-confidence, Summers emphasized.
“I find it’s a very giving thing for people to do drag,” Summers said. “I find it to be very selfless, but also very selfish in a way that they want to be seen, that they feel they are deserving to be seen. And I feel like that’s really refreshing. I think that’s what people really like, because they see someone who is on stage being so brave when a lot of times we shrink ourselves in public.”
Summers said he hopes to make open stage nights a mainstay in Code Pink’s lineup of events, especially considering how important drag is to the LGBTQ+ community in Oxford.
“For me, I see empowerment,” Summers said. “I see bravery. I see people that are willing to be seen in a sometimes scary way. A lot of people are scared to put on heels and a wig because they feel like it’s dangerous. And it is very dangerous. … That’s the reality of the context of where we live.”
Several states have introduced or made attempts at introducing anti-drag legislation such as the Tennessee Adult Entertainment Act, which bans “adult cabaret performances” in areas where minors are present. While Mississippi has not introduced any anti-drag legislation, social stigma around drag still exists.
There are also fears of physical violence. In 2022, a drag show at the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis was canceled due to “the presence of armed protestors,” according to News Channel 3 in Memphis.
There were over 200 instances of anti-drag mobilization across the U.S. — including protests, threats and violence — between June 1, 2022, and May 20, 2023, according to a 2023 NBC report.
“For the people who performed tonight, I gave them my phone number and said, ‘Call me if you feel uncomfortable. I will walk to your car and walk you back if you feel scared,’” Summers said. “Because I don’t know who’s out there. I don’t know who’s willing to hurt someone.”
Summers said despite these potential dangers for the LGBTQ+ community, he hopes Code Pink can serve as a safe space in Oxford.
“But for one night, we have the space, and we have each other,” Summers said. “I’m really proud to be a part of it.”
