Story and photos by Ofelia De La Rosa Contributor
Ready.
Set.
Bingo!
LBSU hosted its first Drag Bingo on Oct. 16. It was a loud, colorful and makeup-filled night.
Amidst the ongoing hate crimes and turmoil, it was beautiful to see the LGBTQ community laughing, dancing and unapologetically being themselves in a safe space.
Drag Bingo was organized by Beach Pride Events and hosted by Jewels from Hamburger Mary’s in Long Beach, who filled the night with sly innuendoes, silly banter and witty remarks.
The night went from bingo to lip-syncing for your life and finished with an iconic performance of Beyoncé’s “Formation” by “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant Jasmine Masters.
It wasn’t just the sassy performances or wicked prizes that made the evening fun. People sang along to “Rather Be” by Clean Bandit and yelled “Bingo!” at the top of their lungs to win Disneyland tickets.
“We’re doing this to give back to the LGBTQ community,” said Jonathan Ibarra, Lead Program Assistant of Beach Pride Events. “Getting them all together to share a message is the powerful part.”
And while I was looking around the room, the message was clear as day: unity.
“This event reinforces the idea that our campus is an inclusive environment and no matter what your ethnicity, background or sexual orientation is, there is a place for everyone,” said student Maame Asafu-Adjaye.
As a firm believer that everyone is entitled to be themselves, I loved that drag performer Masters danced in her thigh-high boots like she didn’t have a care in the world and owned it.
The audience was also blessed by additional drag performances by Psychadella, Miss Luna and Roxy Delvalle. You can watch them perform live at Hamburger Mary’s down on Pine Avenue.
For more information on Beach Pride Events, visit their website at https://www.beachpride.com/
