Two deaf, Latino drag queens who earned internet fame through YouTube will perform at UF today.
The 6 p.m. “Deafies in Drag” event is a part of Deaf Awareness Week, hosted by the UF student organization Signing Gators.
It is the first time a UF student organization has hosted a series of events dedicated to the deaf community.
Later events will include discussion panels and American Sign Language performances from students at universities across Florida, said Devon Mims, the president of Signing Gators.
“It’s important as a hearing person myself to realize that ASL is the language of the deaf community,” Mims said.
Drag queens Casavina and Selena will perform at the free drag performance, which will be held inside the University Auditorium, Mims said. A discussion panel will follow.
Mims, a 20-year-old UF zoology junior, said teaching others about deaf culture makes communication more accessible to those in the community, such as increasing access to
transcripts or closed-captioned TV.
There are 40 UF students registered with the Disability Resource Center who have hearing impairments, wrote UF spokesperson Steve Orlando in an email.
Nathanael Herbert, the president of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of Gainesville Area Program nonprofit, wrote in an email that as someone who is hard of hearing, he’s happy that Signing Gators is bringing attention to the deaf community.
“They will bring the awareness to others who don’t know anything about the deaf community,” he said.
DEAF AWARENESS WEEK EVENTS
• Deafies in Drag show and panel today from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at University Auditorium.
• The Role of Interpreters discussion panel hosted by local interpreter Melani Crosby on Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in McCarty Hall B, Room G086.
• Intercollegiate ASL Idol Showcase on Friday from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom.
