Bethel drag show controversies meet rapid resolution
After a Student Life request to end drag shows on campus, BeLonGTo and GSA defended this club tradition.
On Thursday, the Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students, Dr. MeShonya Wren-Coleman, informed the presidents of BeLonGTo and Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) that there will be no drag shows this year.
“I did not feel like the show represented Bethel College,” said Wren-Coleman. “There was too much profanity and skin exposure from a drag artist.”
This decision changed yesterday, however, after communication with Dr. Henry Waters, advisor of GSA, affirming that the drag shows will continue.
“I trust Dr. Waters, and I trust GSA and what they are going to do with the show. They now know the expectation,” Dr. Wren-Coleman explained.
Since 2020, the LGBTQIA+ Bethel club BeLonGTo has hosted a biannual drag show for students. This drag show has been a way to express and celebrate the voices of LGBTQIA+ individuals on campus.
“The goal has always been to educate the Bethel community about the LGBTQ+ community. Having the ability to have drag shows on campus is the next step in promoting inclusivity on campus,” said President of BeLonGTo Hayden Honomichl.
The show also helps to represent the drag community, which has been under scrutiny from legislators nationwide. This year, politicians from Tennessee, Texas, and Montana, have passed legislation that restricts drag queens from performing.
“College is a place where people come to learn and grow,” explained President of GSA Lucy Buller. “Banning drag shows only sets Bethel back and actively harms the LGBTQ+ community by not allowing us this queer-affirming space.”
The Bethel drag show will be held on Oct. 20 in the Krehbiel Auditorium.
Really? This is "Higher EDUCATION"? It isn't. So, now it's okay to have performances by confused people that get self-serving sexual gratification by exposing skin and slightly covered bulging parts of their mail anatomy in front of children, teens, and college students? And, then to justify it as "educating" Bethel students. I have no personal problem with anyone experimenting how you wish in the privacy of your "safe space" but you have NO protected RIGHT to expose this to anyone else, or to legislate it to all of society as some sort of educational experience for college students. Keep your sexual fantasies and gender confusion to yourself and stop pushing it onto the American society in order to make you feel better about your decisions. Everyone has personal issues but those of you promoting vices and perversions on our children, teens, and the rest of our society are committing the worst earthly sin of all - corrupting the innocent. Parents, it's time to stand up against this agenda aimed at destroying our society and of course the natural family unit. Since this is a "private" college maybe parents need to pull their family out and get as far away from these types of colleges and universities as possible. It's time to stop sending your money to support this kind of thing. Are are better places to get a college education without this B.S. being thrown in your face every year.
Bethel not a place for drag show. Homosexuality is an abomination to the Lord God