The lights flashed on, the bass began to boom and the crowd, standing shoulder to shoulder, stood on its toes, eager for the parade of drag queens and kings to start.
Mimi Imfurst, dressed in a hot pink dress with silver tassels that glimmered under the stage lights, walked onto the stage to Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out.”
About 300 sets of awed eyes watched her in a trance, packing the Hippodrome State Theatre basement to its capacity Thursday night.
Imfurst, who was the host for the night, was the first act in the sparkliest, sassiest spectacle of Pride Awareness Month: The Fierce and Fabulous Drag Show.
The $5,000 drag show, which was sponsored by UF Student Government and the Pride Student Union, was the product of more than four months of work, said Jade Woods, co-director of the drag show.
She said the overall purpose of Pride Awareness Month is to educate and converge gay, lesbian, straight and bisexual groups.
The lineup consisted of three professional drag kings and two professional drag queens – one of which was Ongina, a contestant on season one of VH1’s reality TV show “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” along with six other amateur kings and queens.
A UF mathematics senior, whose stage name is Kiki St. James, performed in knee-high white boots and avant-garde eye makeup, a blue contact in one eye and white feathers for eyelashes in the other.
“It took me five hours in front of a makeup mirror [to look like this],” he said.
St. James has been doing drag shows for one year, performing at venues around Gainesville.
But his friend Renee Sheridan, a Santa Fe College psychology sophomore, said St. James “lives his drag.”
“He puts his life into it,” she said. “I mean, have you seen his costume?”
Sheridan came out to the show not only to support her friend but the entire pride awareness cause, she said.
“You don’t have to be gay to be a gay activist,” she said.
Editor's note: Kiki St. James' real name was removed by request.
