Bulging biceps, baggy boxers, and long eyelashes – oh my! Last Saturday night, Andover’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) organized a dance encouraging students to dress in drag. Guys strutted confidently into the Riley Room wearing miniskirts and spaghetti straps while girls dressed themselves in baggy pants and baseball hats. Although there was a drag contest at the dance, this unusual attire was by no means mandatory. Most people dressed in drag “to learn what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes,” said Yisa Fermin ’08, one of GSA’s board members. “It’s startling to see guys wearing mini skirts, but it’s definitely not a turn-off. I know that they’re confidant with themselves,” said Janelle Driscoll ’09. Despite the many contestants in the drag contest, Rik Rogers ’07 still managed to stand out in the crowd. Dressed in a tight fitting stuffed low-cut shirt and a white miniskirt, Rogers took first place in the contest for the second year in a row. His secret? The outfit extended past his clothing. Rogers straightened his typical ’fro of curly hair into a blond bob and even shaved his legs for the occasion. Rachel Cohen ’08, whose shirt read “Is it gay in here, or is it just me?” and Nate Flagg ’07, who donned a floor length dress and tiara, were the lively MCs of the drag contest. They lined the contestants up and paraded them across the stage while the audience’s applause determined the winners. It was interesting to see the different male interpretations of female dress. Steve Blackman ’07 and his roommate Dave Cuthell ’07 were dressed very differently than contestants such as Russ Cook ’08. While Blackman and Cuthell wore short skirts and lots of make-up, Cook was covered in pink frilly shirts, boas, and tights. These different outfits helped break down some of the gender barriers present at Andover. The boys were not the only ones dressing up, however. Many girls borrowed clothes from their male friends and wore low baggy pants, huge sweatshirts, and baseball hats. Although their clothing choices were not as shocking as the boys’, they made up for it with their attitudes, which captured the essence of nonchalant males. A few girls even drew in soul patches, sideburns, and unibrows. Some notable girls in drag included Lindsey Hildebrand ’07, who drew in a new crop of facial hair, and Mercy Bell ’08, Carolyn Chica ’08, Akosua Oforiwaa-Ayim ‘07, Dacone Elliott ’08, and Hailee Minor ’08, who won the attention of the throngs with their male mannerisms. “Sometimes I didn’t know if I was dancing with a guy or a girl, but in the fun-spirit of the dance, that didn’t matter,” said Evan Hawk ’08. “It was cool because some fine lady would walk up to you and suddenly you would realize it was Lou Tejada dressed in a miniskirt.” “This dance is important because it lets students open up and find out about other sexualities and have fun with things that are so taboo in American culture,” said Fermin. “The whole point was to have fun and to teach people not to be afraid to express themselves. The rules are switched for a night, and I think that’s really interesting and important.” The modern origin of the word “drag” comes from the late 20th century. “Drag” was an abbreviation of “dressed as girl,” a term tied to male transvestism. “Unfortunately, people of different genders are assigned and expected to dress a certain way. Just like being homosexual, dressing up in another gender’s clothing is not a standard choice and expresses some new idea,” said Dr. Cernota, Instructor in Chemistry and faculty advisor to GSA. Especially in the state of Massachussettes, where gay marriage is now legal, many students and faculty are very accepting of GSA. As Dr. Cernota puts it, “Andover is well ahead of the curve [on acceptance].” Beyond this dance, last Tuesday was a Brace Center presentation about gender and sexuality, and October 11th is National Coming Out Day. However, being gay can still be difficult. Dr. Cernota mentioned that “there are some years that are better than others.” When the Massachussettes court was debating whether to legalize gay marriage, the issue was all over the news. There was a heightened sense of the issue and many directly affected by the issue felt exposed and analyzed by the public. A once private matter exploded all over the media. Dr. Cernota said, “In those types of situations, people said things that they necessarily wouldn’t have said before; people were definitely more sensitive to what others were saying.” After this difficult legal battle, gay marriage is now legalized and there are student rights bills to protect gay and bisexual students from harrassment. Moreover, there are organizations such as the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Youth that sponsor events for high schoolers in the New England area. BAGLY dances are a great venue for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students to enjoy their life without being harassed at their own schools. Andover’s GSA has many events planned for this year. Their weekly meetings are typically on Monday nights, when students of all backgrounds come together to discuss gay and straight issues in the local community and in the world. Although GSA club meetings may still intimidate some, the atmosphere of the GSA dance helped break down many assumptions and stereotypes. Luinis Tejada ’08 says, “For my freshmen and lower years, I came to the GSA dance but never dressed up in drag. But this year, I feel more comfortable with myself and my peers [so] I figured it’d be fun to try something different.”
