From being raised by late-‘70s punks who were professional clowns, to now captivating students in the Carl Hansen Student Center Piazza, drag king Frankie Cyanide knows how to put on a show.
Students gathered in the piazza bright and early on a Sunday morning to enjoy brunch, bingo and a drag performance hosted by Quinnipiac University’s Gender Sexuality Alliance.
Cyanide entered wearing a blue, green and gray tailored plaid suit, completing the look with striking black, green and purple makeup and chunky white heeled boots.
Cyanide now resides in Stamford, Connecticut, but is originally from Putnam County and Long Island, New York.
Gabrielle Inacio, the co-president of GSA, said the organization has been planning this event since the beginning of the semester, and having a drag king instead of a queen is what makes this unique from other past drag events.
“We really like supporting local artists,” Inacio, a junior behavioral neuroscience major said. “We’ve learned that having bigger names is great, but as an e-board, I think we all decided that we’d rather support someone local. We feel a better sense of community by doing that.”
One table in the piazza was colorfully decorated with pride flags and various stickers. The other had boxes of bagels and treats from Panera, as well as snacks and mocktails in elegant glasses.
There was also a door raffle prize, which was a pride flag signed by Cyanide. Any student that donated to the food drive for the New Haven Pride Center earned another entry into the raffle.
Cyanide started off the event with a rendition of several songs, such as “Bad Idea” by Olivia Rodrigo, while dancing around the piazza. The crowd clapped and cheered him on with excitement.
Aleena Graveline, a sophomore game design and development and computer science double major, said her favorite part of the morning was Cyanide’s performance. She also said she liked that students got the opportunity to get involved with lip sync battle during intermission.
“I always come to the drag events, I’ve been coming to all of them since I started school, I really think it’s cool and fun that we have one so I always try to come if I’m available,” Graveline said.
Students sat on the edge of their seats eagerly waiting for their numbers to be called in bingo. Bingo rounds included making shapes like a music note or straight lines. As the game went on, Cyanide added clever commentary related to the numbers he was announcing, while sporting a bedazzled visor.
Neely Harrington, a first-year health sciences major in the physician assistant prep program, won a basket of painting supplies during bingo. Other baskets at the event had themes such as pride, music and books.
“I think it’s really fun, it’s exciting to experience, I’ve never been to a drag brunch so that’s been cool and the breakfast is really good,” Harrington said.
Inacio said with the increased violence against transgender youth, LGBTQ+ book bans and the restriction of gender-affirming care, drag shows are more important than ever. She said drag is an expression of art and a way for the queer community to come together.
“(The political climate is) really quite horrible, but when you’re at a drag show, it’s kind of like a little bubble,” Inacio said. “All that other negative stuff out in the world goes away and it’s just you and other people in the queer community and allied supporters and the performer.”
Multiple students volunteered for the competitive lip sync battle during intermission, where they performed to the song “Holding Out For a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler. All of the students won paper gold crowns at the end.
Anna Soliwoda, a first-year film, television and media arts major, started gliding across the floor to the beat while participating in the lip sync battle. She said she wishes there were more events like this on campus.
“It’s a nice environment, it’s not like you’re gonna be judged,” Soliwoda said.
Cyanide concluded the event with a fantastic final performance. As the routine went on, he revealed more coats under his brown trench coat. The other coats included two sequined jackets and another neutral colored jacket.
Inacio added that it is important for students’ mental health and their sense of belonging to have spaces like the drag brunch where they can have a support system and meet others like them.
“I think it’s really hard when you don’t see yourself represented in a lot of places,” Inacio said. “Nobody wants to feel like they’re alone or left out, I think it’s something that all people can relate to.”
