On March 15, the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club partnered with Programming Board to host Rainbow Bingo.
Not only did Rainbow Bingo include a variety of rainbow themed prizes but there were special guests. The two clubs welcomed Teakillya Divine, Memphis Divine and Cookie-Doe, three drag queens from Heat, a local Wilkes-Barre area nightclub. All have had numerous years of experience performing, with their speciality in lip-syncing.
The show started out with the queens’ performance, featuring songs from Miley Cyrus to Cary Rae Jepson. After the show, the event turned to bingo while the queens continued to provide comedic commentary, often causing the crowd to erupt in laughter.
“The hosts were very charismatic,” said Ancel Santana, first-year civil engineering major. “They were also very welcoming and the show they put on was phenomenal.”
Many of the prizes available to winners of bingo were new prizes that Programming Board had not given away before at past events. These included travel luggage, a speaker, snack items and more.
“I thought this was really special,” said Nevin Rauch, a junior mechanical engineering major. “It brought the LGBTQ community along with many allies within campus to have a fun night. I really enjoyed seeing everyone come together and my first drag show.”
A dance battle also occurred between the students, with first-year mechanical engineering major, Ryan Piekanski, winning the battle.
“I think the main thing that helped me win the dance competition was when I hit the ‘Luddy,’” said Piekanski. “It’s a goofy move inspired by Ludwig Ahgren.
“Overall, the whole thing was totally tubular.”
This bingo was inspiring for many as it brought together many different people with different identities on campus. It allowed attendants to learn about important queer culture, in addition to being made aware about many of the bans and new laws that go against the LGBTQ community.
Nicole Middleton, P2 pharmacy major and member of the programing board, felt similarly. She felt it added an extra layer to the usual Programming Board bingos and liked that they had the chance to collaborate with another club on campus to further spread awareness.
GSA had held an event in the past featuring drag queens, and Middleton expressed the campus’s excitement about their returning for bingo.
“In many states, an event like this would be considered illegal,” said Morgan Steiner, sophomore history, political science and international relations major and the president of the GSA. “Drag is an important part of LGBTQ culture and history. Not only that, it’s a form of art.
“This is something that brings the whole campus community out, regardless of their identity. It’s a way to support local performers, have fun, and enjoy an aspect of queer culture that not everyone is familiar with.”
The GSA will host more entertainment and educational events later this month and in April. More information can be found on their official Instagram page, @gsawilkes, or by reaching out to Morgan Steiner at [email protected] for further questions. Programming Board’s next themed event, “Board Game Madness,” is scheduled for Thursday, March 23.
“I love these events,” said Aster Rowland, sophomore criminology major. “I typically don’t win, but my friends work hard to pull them off.”