Mark your calendars because Friday, March 31 is International Transgender Day of Visibility. This is an annual awareness day that allows the accomplishments of transgender people to be spotlighted and offers schools and communities an opportunity to create and celebrate more trans-inclusive spaces.
Many schools take this time to go over gender terminology, help students understand pronouns and give a platform for trans voices on their campuses. In the past, student organizations at Tufts have posted resources for students to access and opened dialogues about what this day signifies. 2023 would have been no different if it weren’t for the Tufts University Social Collective and the Tufts LGBT Center’s new program, Drag Me to Tufts.
This event stars RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants Kerri Colby and Raja and will mark the inaugural performance of the Jumbo Drag Collective. This new student group on campus was inspired by Professor Kareem Khubchandani’s Critical Drag class that was offered in Tufts’ Theatre and Performance Studies Department. The course covered the intersectionality of gender, race, sexuality, class and much more when it comes to drag performances and led to the creation of the Jumbo Drag Collective.
This event is inspiring and offers a way for students interested in pop culture to go support their peers who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Understanding drag and taking part in it is an important aspect of the identity of many trans individuals and can be affirming to their gender identity.
Notably, Raja was the winner of the third season on RuPaul’s Drag Race and Colby reached the top 10 of season 14. It is exciting to see campus resources valuing its students by looking for unique and exciting ways to engage with its queer population. Run by both Tufts’ LGBT Center and TUSC, what better way to honor International Day of Transgender Visibility than by bringing in two of the biggest trans and nonbinary stars in contemporary media?
Looking for ways to support the trans community outside of the show? Check out organizations such as the National Center for Transgender Equality, the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, The Trevor Project and the Marsha P. Johnson Institute to find more ways to offer assistance and support to the trans community. There are so many ways to get involved, so let’s not stop the support at the upcoming drag show. We can continue to uplift and support trans voices from this point forward.
Tickets go live on TuftsTickets on March 27 at 10:30 a.m., so set your alarms because this is a show you won’t want to miss!
