Delta Lambda Phi fraternity will be hosting its third annual drag show on Saturday from 8 to 11 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.
“Come to have a lot of fun. Expect it to be fascinating, and probably out of your bubble, but not scary. Bring lots of single dollar bills,” said Paul Hengesteg, treasurer of Delta Lambda Phi, a fraternity for gay, bisexual and progressive men at Iowa State.
“It definitely takes the full fraternity to put this on. We have all of us in the fraternity, we have I think 18 volunteers from other Multicultural Greek Council organizations. It takes a lot of people, a lot of planning [and] a lot of work, but it all comes together for a great outcome at the end.”
The event will include performances from nine to 10 drag queens, ranging from amateur to professional. Ima Moista Towletta Beaverhausen, a professional drag queen from the Legendary Blazing Saddle in Des Moines, Iowa, will be the host for the night.
The Blazing Saddle is Iowa’s oldest continuous running gay bar, Hengesteg said.
The Blazing Saddle will soon be celebrating its 35th anniversary. It is open 365 days a year and has been a fundamental part of the LGBTQIA+ community of Central Iowa since its opening.
“I saw Ima on Wednesday of last week and she had really big hair,” Hengesteg said.
Hengesteg and Derrik Wallace, president of Delta Lambda Phi, explained what goes into planning such an event and what they hope to achieve through the planning and execution of the Yellow Rose Drag Show.
All proceeds from the event, including all tips received by the performers, will benefit The Trevor Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing resources such as a toll-free hotline and trained counselors for at-risk LGBTQIA+ youth, with a focus on suicide prevention.
“That’s a big thing. Some people do this for their living. The fact that [the performers] are willing to donate all the money that they receive right back, that’s […] great [for] us, great for the Trevor Project [and] the LGBT community,” Wallace said.
