UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
VOL. 110, NO. 22 ● SINCE 1908
THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2018
‘BIRDCAGE’ allows students to experience LGBTQ culture
Rana Avadh / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
USC’s annual drag show, Birdcage, featuring performances by drag kings and queens, is free to students and will be hosted by IRIS and Carolina Productions on April 5.
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Birdcage, an annual drag show event put on by I ndiv iduals Respect ing Identities and Sexualities (IRIS) and Carolina Productions, will be held April 5 from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m. “It’s always just a fantastic show to watch. Drag ... it’s a very unique kind of performance,” said Cooper D e St e f a no , I R I S p r e s id e nt a nd t h i rd-yea r computer science a nd mathematics student. “A lot of the performers from the Columbia area a lot of them do the show every single year … I’m just very excited to see them perform again.” Birdcage is not something ever y student would think to attend, but the event allows all students the chance to experience an important part of LGBTQ culture.
“From my experience, xperience, some people have yet to actually come out and admit t hey are fans of this at home so when they come back to school chool and can really be themselves elves — it’s nice that we have ve t h i s e v e n t ,” said Emma Sm it h, specia l events coordinator tor for Carolina Productions and nd second-yearr C h i n e s e s t u d e n t . “ T h a t ’s something they may not be able to enjoy when they’re at home … I’ve had a few w people tell me that.” A drag show involves multiple queens — and kings ings — lip syncing, sing ing or dancing to music along, somet imes mes w it h aud ience participation.
“A lot of performers do try to do perform audience interacti interactions,” DeStefano said. “So, come out to the show just keeping in m ind you can interact with the th performers and it’s encouraged. encourage It’s just a part of drag.” St udent s com i ng t o t he s how a r e encouraged to tip e the performers. t I n order to help make or t h is poss possible, I R IS a nd Ca rol i na Produc t ions will have one dollar bills to exchange exchan so that every student can participate fully in the experienc experience. “It is encouraged that they tip encoura because that’s ho how they make a lot of their money,” Smith said. Just a few of
the performers at Birdcage will be Roxxie Beatz, Ebony Wood, Oliver Clothesoff, Riley Huntee and Veronica la Blank. These local drag performers will be joined by the winners of IRIS’s fall amateur drag competition. “This semester has been a lot of reaching out to get a headliner for the show, contacting queens and kings in the Columbia area,” DeStefano said. “We also have the winners of our fall show, Mr. and Ms. Gaymecock, they will be performing as well.” Birdcage will be held in Russell House Ballroom B and is open for all students free of charge. “It is really IRIS’ big event for the spring semester,” DeStefano said. “Drag is a big part of queer culture ... It’s a cultural event in a sense so we are really inviting the campus to come take part in this culture.”
File photo: Hannah Cleaveland / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
SG inauguration ushers in new administration Larissa Johnson @LALARISSAJ
INSIDE
Student Government inauguration was less the start of a new era than a celebration of the current administration. Rutledge Chapel, full to the brim with the members of the new 110th senate, the families of incoming officers and Student Government observers, heard speeches from the four 2018-19 executive officers — Student Body President Taylor Wright, Vice President Mills Hayes, Treasurer Emerson Odagis and Speaker of the Senate Patrick Ellis — Tuesday afternoon after they each took an oath of office. “There is no place on Earth quite like the University of South Carolina,” Wright said. “As the elected leaders of this 110th Student Government, we must work to ensure that these opportunities are presented to every member of the Carolina community.” The officers both old and new laughed together on stage anytime the words “Momentum” or “Surge” were used, the winning campaign slogans from last year and the most recent election. The speeches, while mainly formal, were also deeply personal. Wright discussed how being an African-American male shaped his life and his plans for the presidency, and Hayes shared the story of her grandmother attending USC in the ‘60s. “As women, we still have a long way to go to achieve true equality,” Hayes said. “I am thankful for the
Courtesy of Mike Bull
trailblazers. The resilient, brave and intelligent women like my grandmother who paved the way for us to rise today.” Hayes was joined on the stage by two notable female university administrators, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs A nna Edwards and Provost Joan Gabel, who both work with Student Government. “As we celebrate the accomplishments of the 201718 student body officers, we look with anticipation and excitement for what Taylor, Mills, Patrick and Emerson will contribute during their term.” Edwards noted the successes of former Student Body President Ross Lordo’s adm in ist rat ion, especially progress on the new student union. Lordo, while not speaking at the inauguration, was mentioned in almost all six speeches given. After the event concluded, he was free from involvement in Student Government for the first time since starting classes at USC. “I’ll defi nitely be getting more sleep,” Lordo said, who has less than a month left of classes before graduating in May. “Our new administration will continue to blaze a trail of excellence for current and future Carolinians,” said Ellis, the first ever speaker of the senate. “When Taylor, Mills, Emerson and I reflect on our time in office, I hope that we will take heart in the work that we accomplished.
Kyle Radzak / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Patrick Ellis was inaugurated as USC’s first ever student body speaker of the senate on Monday, April 2.
A&C
SPORTS
SPORTS
USC Percussion Ensemble puts on free show.
Bryan Edwards looks to continue successful spring into third season. Page 8
Gamecocks drop midweek game, look ahead to No. 9 Kentucky this weekend. Page 8
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