[media-credit id=2077 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]The lights go down in Buckman Theater and the outline of a slim silhouette in six-inch heels appears on stage. With her hair jacked up to heaven and her makeup precisely done, Miss Sherry Vine makes her entrance. The drag star has been coming to Quinnipiac for 10 years in support of the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA).

“Drag is a big part of LGBTQ culture and it shows more of the fun, rebellious niche side,” GSA president Meghan Rocha said.

For Vine, it is easy to see how much progress has been made through clubs such as GSA.

“It is so diverse here,” Vine said. “When I was in college, I was the only openly gay kid in my theater class.”

One of the main goals of GSA is making students feel comfortable and supported in their home away from home. While the community has been more accepted throughout the school and in society in general, there is still progress to be made.

“The fight (for gay acceptance) is not over,” Vine said.

Vine and other members of the drag community use their burlesque-like performances as a fun way to bring inclusion and acceptance to the LGBTQ population.

While there is a deep meaning behind the show, Vine does not stray from the routine, sexually-explicit comedy that she is known for.

“I feel like there’s so much division in the country and people need to laugh” Vine said.

Her performance consists of a wide range of song parodies from classics such as “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley to “Million Reasons” by Lady Gaga. The raunchy comedy had students of all backgrounds in tears of laughter. Vine’s performance brought students, professors and campus guests together, creating an age range of 14 to 60 plus.

In her skin-tight, bedazzled, rose-gold dress, Vine strutted across the stage. When the microphone died mid-performance due to a transformer blow out, Vine simply turned down her music and turned up her voice.

Taking breaks from her parodies, Vine took the time to connect with the audience members and opened the floor up for questions. Members of the show took advantage of that moment asking questions such as, “How long does it take you to get ready?” and “How did you start your career as a drag performer?”

Inspiring members of the audience, Vine explained that she stumbled upon drag when she was writing her Master’s thesis. The prompt asked the students to create three diverse characters and put them in the same environment; one of the characters that she created was a drag star. Surprisingly, it was not Vine’s idea to begin her career in drag, but rather her professor’s.

“When I presented my thesis my professor told me, ‘You should really look into this,’” Vine said.

It is easy to tell from not only the smiles on the faces of the audience members but through their body language that Vine really is making a difference in the community. One member was comfortable enough to come dressed in drag as well, explaining that Vine is her inspiration. Taking time out of the show, Vine allowed the student to show off her work; she was radiating.

As Vine continued to interact with the audience, she decided to poll the audience on their sexuality. When Vine questioned the audience, it was clear that no one was uncomfortable with who they are, a result that pleased Vine.

“I’m happy to be here because I really believe how important the Gay Straight Alliance club is,” Vine said.

As the show came to a close, Vine continued to show her compassion for the audience as she invited fans up to converse and take pictures. Rocha was pleased with the event turn out and could not thank Vine enough.

“She supports us so much and we love her and we appreciate her coming.” Rocha said.

GSA hopes that Vine will return to the school for 10 more years.

“Maybe we’ll do something in the future where we can incorporate students into it” Rocha said.