One of the big events of this past weekend was the annual Gender Blender. This party and dance was hosted by the Cache Valley Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) as a fundraising event for the LIFE club here on campus.
This event was full of fun and awesome drag costumes. From the gender-neutral bathrooms to costumes and drag contests, this entire event was focused on allowing people to express themselves any way that they wanted to.
This showed itself in this years theme cosplay/lookalike, with costumes of everyone’s favorite characters wandering around the venue.
One of the attendees had this to say about the event, “Gender blender is a great place where people can express themselves and a safe environment, and just have a good time with their friends.”
Another attendee added, “It’s a safe place for people of all different backgrounds, it’s a chance to explore gender, because gender is a really fun thing to work with and to express and to manipulate.” Many of the other attendees expressed similar feelings about the event.
This event started back in 2009 and has been held annually ever since. It has become one of the big events of the year for many students, growing in size every year.
One of the event staff, when asked if she felt like this event would continue to grow commented, “In Utah this is a big event… people continue to come back to it.” This did indeed seem to be an event that people would continue to attend for years to come.
The proceeds from this event went to the LIFE club to help pay for expenses and activities held throughout the year.
One of the defining features of this event is the easy-going attitude in regards to gender. From drag queens and kings to costumes that didn’t have a specific gender the atmosphere was warm, accepting and fun.
In an interview, an attendee said, “The point of Gender Blender is it’s a completely open, safe, environment where people can literally be whoever they want to be – dress however they want to dress. They don’t have to be uncomfortable with their gender, and there’s no expectations about gender roles.”
A common theme among those interviewed was that gender blender provided a safe and fun environment to explore one’s gender without fear of judgment or harassment. This seemed very important to many who attended.
The focus on safety and acceptance seemed to be a major reason for attending this event. As one person we interviewed stated, “Gender Blender provides an opportunity to try on genders.”
The atmosphere was carefully engineered by the host staff of the Cache Valley GSA and measures were taken to protect the attendees and their privacy.
The main event of the night was the drag contest. This was divided into 3 categories – drag king, drag androgynous, and drag queen.
Each contestant had to perform a talent, either singing or dancing. The crowd particularly enjoyed the lively dances done during each category.
At the end of the night, the crowd voted for their favorite performers to be crowned as the drag king, the drag queen and the drag androgynous winners of the night, and were crowned with a sash and a pair of boxer shorts or panties.
This annual event had a lively and fun atmosphere that everyone seemed to enjoy, and the event seemed to be a success for all involved.
Cosplay was everywhere with this years theme.
It was a great night for drag queens.
Even Harley Quinn made an appearance.
