Sacramento State’s queer fraternity Delta Lambda Phi partnered with Royal Sting to put on their first drag show in over 5 years Thursday night, where kings and queens lip-synced and death-dropped the night away.
The show was hosted in the University Union Ballroom and included over 10 different performances from queens and kings within the Sacramento community.
Delta Lambda Phi’s fundraising chair and vice president of Royal Sting Lee Nakao said he was excited to get the show up and running again after COVID.
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“This year, I was like, ‘Let’s get it going again,’” Nakao said. “I got in contact with CGNIE and started collaborating with some queens.”
During the show, performers lip-synced, danced and wowed the audience with songs from artists such as Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa.
Nakao also took some time before the show to share some history of drag and the LGBTQ+ community, from the first documented drag queen in the 1700s to Marsha P. Johnson and the Stonewall riots.
The Court of the Great Northwest Imperial Empire is a charity organization that helps the LGBTQ+ community in 27 counties in the Northern California area.
CGNIE hosts events such as shows and brunches, has scholarships available and partners with local charities like CASH, Empower Yolo and Sacramento Loaves and Fishes.
One of the performers and Emprex 51 of CGNIE, Adollyah LaRue RoyalGotti, said the goal of Royal Sting and CGNIE is to make space for those who need it and to share a community where everyone feels welcome.
“When I first came to campus, there was a lack of representation for me, and I felt isolated and lonely,” RoyalGotti said. “It’s a place for representation for different people to come and dabble and, most of all, have fun.”
Junior sociology major Derlin Hammon said he attended because he wanted to come out to have fun, and drag shows are good at doing just that.
“I needed a distraction – something to get out and have fun,” Hammon said. “I really like how involved the drag queens are with the audience and how the audience is reacting.”
During the performances, the artists walked into the crowd and interacted with different people, as attendees gave tips in dollar bills to the performers.
Sophomore studio art major Wyndham Hay said he was elated to attend the show and try out a bit of drag makeup himself.
“Royal Sting was advertised last semester, and I’ve been waiting for an event like this where we can meet people,” Hay said. “I really like watching people perform and getting a feel for the stage.”
Performer and Emperor 51 Spade RoyalGotti said he wanted to come out to show that drag isn’t just for the queens, but for the kings and gender-nonconforming drag artists, as well.
“I wanted to let people know that there are people that love them and share the same spaces and fight with them,” Spade RoyalGotti said. “The queens rule the world, but the kings are here and here to stay.”
CGNIE will be hosting multiple events in April. To find out more info and register, click here.
