Drag queens perform to support Positive Link

An Eiffel Tower stood at the side of the stage, lights twinkled and cutouts of the city lined the room. A queen, dressed in all black with a glistening pink robe, took her throne to kick off the evening’s entertainment. Time For Change, a Paris-themed benefit drag show, took place Sunday evening in the Willkie Auditorium.

The benefit started five years ago when a student at Willkie contacted Vicci Lane who works with Red Ribbon Outreach Alliance, a program that helps to organize benefits for service organizations. All of the money raised went to Positive Link, a program of Indiana University Health at Bloomington Hospital that does free HIV/AIDS testing.

“This event was my way to get money to HIV and AIDS directly going to help people in the community it was raised in,” Lane said.

There were four queens who performed lip-syncing and dancing to popular music by Beyonce and Carrie Underwood, just to name a few. Three of the talents are IU alumni and one, Vanessa Vale, was Miss Gay IU in 2006.

Money was raised through a silent auction that included photographs from the IU photography club, African art, gift cards from local businesses, football tickets and REC Sports sunglasses and bags. Also, if students liked what they saw, they could hand money to the queens.

Lane said her biggest advice to anyone who wants to get involved in a cause they are enthusiastic about, such as HIV/AIDS, is to educate themselves to find where needs are and then to get involved. She said she was passionate about HIV and AIDS because she watched  her best friend, a nationally known entertainer, die from AIDS, so she volunteers her time in her friend’s memory.

“It is really important to get awareness out there in any way we can,” senior Elizabeth Kendall said. “As a floor president in Willkie, we sent out emails and wrote it on the white board in addition to fliers in order to get as many people as we could to come.”
Other students happened upon the event.

“I was on my way to the Willkie C-Store when we heard the show,” freshman Kelly Brown said. “I love it. They are funny and have a lot of talent. I think it is a wonderful cause that not many people are working toward, but they are doing a good job.”

The drag show event was a kickoff for AIDS Walk Bloomington 2012, which will take place March 31 at Third Street Park. Registration begins at 11 a.m.