It’s no secret that DePaul University is one of the more liberal Catholic institutions. This was exemplified last Wednesday during the production of “What A Drag (II)” in the Student Center atrium.

Attracting more than two hundred students, the two-hour-long drag queen show featured numerous performances to the sounds of Britney Spears, The Pussycat Dolls, and Beyonce. The program started last year by Bill “Brianna Powers” Mattera, Resident Director for Corcoran/McCabe, who was also the emcee and performed in the show. Materra had help assistants in his halls and Act OUT DePaul, “an LGBTQA service group which focuses on education through conversation.”

Once the queens took the stage in heels that even the most experienced sorority girl would have trouble walking in, the crowd took notice. There was cheering, clapping and the throwing of dollar bills onstage (which one of the queens started by tossing dollar bills out of her bra). Even when there was a mishap, whether it was a trip or wardrobe malfunction, hundreds of students continued cheering throughout the entire show.

Unfortunately last year’s crowd favorite, Casey Oritz, best remembered for jumping off stage and landing in the splits, did not come back for this year’s show. However, Dida Ray, who performs weekly at Hydrate Chicago, took Casey’s placed and rocked the crowd in 6 inch stilettos and bodysuit corsets. Her second time on stage Dida let loose to ‘Big Ego’ by Beyonce, her favorite artist to perform to. Ray said she got completely ready for the show in about 30 minutes.

There was also a new group of performers this year, drag kings.

“They’re like an exotic animal.” Brianna Powers said while hosting, poking fun at the stereotypical reaction drag queens receive. “It’s like going to the zoo.”

Chad Brochill and the Righteous Dudes group included senior and member of Act OUT, Katie Weiss, and three other females dressed as men, complete with beards. They performed a routine to “Bye Bye Bye” by the Backstreet Boys.

“Both me and Nicki [Reinhardt] are going to be leaving this year, so we thought that performing ‘Bye Bye Bye’ was a good way to say goodbye to everyone,” Weiss said.

When it came to the picking who performed, Powers said “keep it to the professional dancers. Amateur drag can be fun, but it also can be offensive to the ladies who do this for a living.”

“All of the ladies, except Ray, were already friends of mine,” said Powers. “They are all excited for this event because unlike at bars or clubs, for many folks here this is there first time. There is another level of energy and education that comes along with that.”

Both Weiss and Powers say that getting through the administration was not as difficult as one might think. “This year was even easier,” Weiss said. “The paper work was already set up and the administration had already approved it.”

There were only a few things that the administration and Powers wanted to steer away from.

“We wanted to be considerate,” Powers said. “Most of all, we paid attention to the music we chose.”

According to Weiss, they were also told not to distribute condoms; which they ended up having to cut out of a performance.

That brings about the question of where DePaul draws the line when it comes to Catholic values. Some of the more conservative students did not support the show and couldn’t avoid it considering it was in the atrium of the student center. Quoting Deuteronomy 22:5, Charlie, a DePaul student studying History, says that the bible speaks out directly about the act of cross-gender dressing. “Even if one chooses not to take this passage literally, many times cross dressing involves a sexual dimension. If this is the case then the Church is very clear on its sexual morality.” Charlie continued, “if this were a TRUE catholic institution, they would not allow it.” Supporters of the event say that they choose to focus on the more inclusive messages of God.

So how does a modern institution remain true to their roots as well as include all of those who wish to be a part of it? Is it even possible? This is a problem that many religious institutions (not just DePaul and not just Catholic) are facing more and more, and it is something that we are bound to see play out within our lifetime. However there is one thing for certain and that is if you have an opinion and you want that opinion to be a part of the future then you cannot stay silent. There are hundreds of outlets to let your voice be heard, you only have to make use of them. Act OUT and others decided to use their voice to host a drag show right in the middle of campus life, and it turned out extremely successful.