SPECTRUM hosted a free drag show for students at the Rat Wednesday night, completely packing the place with both students and staff supporting rights for all people, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. There were performances from students – both male and female – dressing and performing as the opposite sex, as well as spoken word, and numbers performed by drag professionals local to the Miami area. They started with a quirky, comical rendition of the National Anthem, which led into the first drag performance by the host of the night, one of the professionals who works at Twist on South Beach.

The crowd was incredibly responsive and everyone had was having a great time cheering on their peers who courageously got up on stage strutted for the cause. SPECTRUM passed around a tip bucket throughout the performances for donations to raise funds for giving transgender employees the same rights as everyone else. This is the largest scale production SPECTRUM has ever done this event before, and without a doubt it was a total success.

words and photos_karli evans.