Every school has its opinion of drag

Other academic institutions have their own version of the Ball

One of the first things I heard about when I came to Oberlin was this mysterious thing called Drag Ball. "It's AWESOME!" everyone said. "The whole campus goes, and everyone dresses up." I thought - this is kind of cool. Nothing like this would ever happen at my previous school, Tufts. We had LGB dances and socials, but nothing like this. The closest thing Tufts has to a Drag Ball is the weekly showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in Harvard Square. (Not exactly a drag queen's fantasy - only garter belts, hot pants, and maid uniforms to choose from there. Besides, it's been SO completely DONE.) Yes, I truly believe that Hellen Bed would have discovered her own living hell at Tufts.

Not so at Oberlin. We've got a nice square mile or two to play around with, and what do our weekends usually hold? An exciting trip to Super K perhaps? Maybe a trip to the mall or even (how exciting!) Cleveland? Or perhaps just cheap beer and a porno movie at someone's place off-campus. Need I say more?

So Drag Ball is a welcome event here. And almost everybody seems to go. So, is Oberlin alone in the universe? Do you think that we are the only students who find the ultimate stress relief in gender-bending? I didn't know, so I set out on my quest to find out just what other students across the United States of America think of Drag Ball, and if, perhaps, there are other Drag festivals lurking out there in Academia somewhere.

One student at Reed College in Portland, Ore., said that they didn't have a drag ball, but they had Renn Fayre where the students build mazes and funhouses and everyone gets drunk and has a good time. They also have two formal dances. She felt a drag ball would be well-recieved and said that "enough people around here dress in drag as it is."

Another student from Dickinson wrote "I know you're going to think I'm a prude, but what in the world is "drag"? I'm sure we don't have it at Dickinson. If it's a car race, we still don't have it." But, she assured, they do have Greek Week, and that's pretty big, and could I write her back, please.

In the meantime, someone from the US Naval Academy wrote back. She said, "Well, I think ... I don't live on the most tolerant campus in the world. First of all, the administration would never let us do it. Second, the local press and The Washington Post would have a field day, and lastly, I don't think that any of our guys would participate except as a means of making fun of female midshipmen. (Most of them think we're fat and ugly.) I personally think it would be hilarious."

More and more replies poured in. A student at Elon said that unless Drag Ball was sponsored by the Greek system it would not fly. A student at Virginia Tech thought it would be great, but wondered why we do it. "Is it to raise money? Or just for fun?" she asked. Someone at UC Berkeley said that they didn't have a drag ball, but an "exotic erotic ball" where "the less you wear the better... in fact sometimes people are turned away at the door for wearing too many clothes." A Vassar student told me about their drag ball, called the "Homo Hop," and it is very popular. A Williams student responded rather tersely with "yes gay bashes and cross dressing parties/ most would like it." I became relieved that Oberlin has allies in the student Drag world. Even at Indiana University there is a Miss Gay USA pageant. The student who wrote to me said it was not very popular, but very public.

And then I got another note from the student at Dickinson. "If I had known that you were referring to cross-dressing, I can assure you that NO! we don't have anything of that sort at Dickinson, except maybe on Halloween. We're way too homophobic for the connotations of something like that."

Well, at least she realizes it. And maybe that's the first step. I felt a little guilty, like I had kind of burst her bubble. (Her life was so peaceful before I brought drag to Dickinson. I bet that in five years they'll be having one of their own.) But, hey, that's what it's all about. If we can shock the world with a little hairspray and makeup, some fishnets and platform shoes, then who knows? Perhaps there is hope for a tolerant world yet.