Alumma Naughty flexing their hands up as they perform. 
Sage Valentine on her hands and knees, wiping the floor with a bucket. 
Dizzy Phoria walking across the stage with their head held high, while $1 bills are being thrown at them. 
Nävouny Divinne centering the stage in a beautiful gown with frilly embellishments. 
Tia Rikki lying on the ground with her legs in an air split, showcasing her flexibility on stage. 
Jacques Picklestein in the middle of stage, singing their heart out.
A series of photos taken at WWU’s 31st Annual Drag Show. Sophia Nunn // Wavelength
By: Tim Donahue
Western Washington University hosted their 31st Annual Drag Show on April 8, 2023. On this night, the PAC Concert Hall gave a home to an art form under attack, and in light of recent news I expected this event to be a solemn one. Little did I know, solemn is not a word in a drag show’s vocabulary.
On the back of drag performer Axe Andros’s jacket flashed the words, “Trans joy is resistance” in sequin that dazzled beneath the spotlights on stage. Being a common phrase in the community, these words stuck out as a theme which was a thesis to a night that faced the threat to Trans rights as folks danced and lip-synced in spite of the danger inherent to the expression of their joy.
Performers were in glamorous makeup and intricately stylized dress, showcasing themselves more than anyone I’ve seen on a stage in front of that many people. Drag like this is not a mask, but an expression of the layer beneath the skin that is impossible to show without the aid of artforms like this.
The performers exuded their joy. Uninterrupted, they exploded through their song and dance and movement. One after another with only a single break at the halfway point of the show, they gave us everything they had. They gave us their emotion, their intricate prep and confidence, they gave us the night and I felt like I took just a fraction of what they gave home with me. It lives with me now, as it does for many like me in the audience.
Drag shows are under attack, and this 31st annual show at Western Washington University was just one day in a yearlong responsibility that we have to defend our drag royalty. Support is a small price for the indomitable spirit that permeates the art form. Drag is not going anywhere, Trans people aren’t going anywhere, the Western Drag Show is here to stay and the frontlines are stronger because of it.