Allegheny Gay Pride (AGP) will be hosting a Drag Show next Wednesday, April 18 to celebrate the conclusion of the National Day of Silence, which AGP participates in every year on campus.

During the Day of Silence, participants at college campuses across the country remain silent for an entire day to raise awareness about the difficulty of being a member of the lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender community (LBGT). By not talking for an entire day, they bring to light the oppression many members of the LBGT community face each day in an atmosphere of harassment and discrimination.

Most schools hold a celebration at the end of the day to “break the silence.”AGP decided that a drag show would be the perfect way to end the day.

“We figured that a drag show would be a fun event which we could get a lot of students involved in,” said AGP member Stephanie Miller, ‘10, in an e-mail interview. “A drag show also promotes breaking of gender stereotypes, which we are all about.”

The performers at the show will all be Allegheny students and are a mixture of homosexual students and friends of the LBGT community. They will perform a lip-sync and dance routine stage in front of a panel of judges composed of Allegheny faculty members.

The winners—one king and one queen—will each be rewarded an iPod shuffle, while the runners-up will be given gift certificates to various local restaurants.

During the event, AGP members will also be handing out pamphlets with information and statistics about the LBGT community. They hope to raise awareness and encourage the acceptance of the LBGT community.

“I hope that this Drag Show will break gender stereotypes and help our Allegheny community to be more accepting and knowledgeable of the LGBT community,” said AGP member Lynn Simonton, ‘10. “We expect this event to be extremely fun for all who attend.”

Members of AGP expect a great turnout for the show. “We’ve been advertising as much as possible, and a lot of people will want to see their friends performing,” Miller said.

So far, about ten to fifteen students have entered the competition, though a final count has not been made yet. The performances, complete with bright lights and colorful decorations, will take place at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18 in the Campus Center lobby.