When senior Amy Finkenbine walks onto a drag show stage, she is no longer herself, she becomes Roman Digits.
“Roman is a character I can put on when I need him,” Finkenbine said. “He can do things that Amy would be too afraid to do.”
Finkenbine was one of the drag kings and queens that participated in the Drag Show performance put on by Delta Lambda Phi on Wednesday night.
This was Finkenbine’s second time participating in the annual drag show.
“I like drag because it’s fun to put on Roman and show people a good time,” Finkenbine said. “I can’t dance but I love to entertain others.”
A part of the proceeds will go to the Trevor Project, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth suicide hot line, said Chris Bromley.
He is a senior and the president of the Delta Lambda Phi and helped with the ticket sales for the show.
“Our fraternity is for gay, bisexual and progressive men,” Bromley said. “We all have a personal connection with the hot line, so we felt it was appropriate to donate money to them.”
Ryan Lahti, sophomore and vice-president for the fraternity, helped with the ticket sales as well.
“We have been running this drag show for three years now,” Lahti said. “Last year we managed to give $125 to the hot line. We are hoping to donate more this year.”
He also helped with the setup of the stage for the drag queens and kings.
“They have as much room as they need,” Lahti said. “They can walk anywhere they want and engage with the audience, but we do have a runway and stage set up for them as well.”
Aaron Gilbert, sophomore, is a pledge to the fraternity and also participated in the drag show.
“This was my first time ever doing drag,” Gilbert said. “Being on that stage gave me such an adrenaline rush. I was so involved with the crowd and I loved it.”
Gilbert wanted to join the fraternity because he was looking for a place to make close connections.
“I wanted to be involved with the show and this fraternity because I wanted to become more professional in the LGBT community,” Gilbert said. “I wanted to find a home away from home.”
Josh Williams, a sophomore, came to the drag show to support Gilbert.
“I liked the show, they entertain me,” Williams said. “It is interesting to see the counter culture play out with the drag shows.”
Sophomore Brianna Sosa also came to support a member from the Delta Lambda Phi fraternity.
“I loved the show,” Sosa said. “Sometimes I feel like the drag queens are better than me at being a girl.”
Sosa said she also felt pride for her friends participating in the drag show.
“I am so proud of all of them,” Sosa said. “They are willing to show something they love to do and aren’t afraid to hide it.”
