A drag show featuring men dressing up as women and slated for today at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley has prompted controversy and concern among some students and conservative community members.
They questioned whether the event is appropriate for a public university, but campus officials defended the production, calling it educational.
“We encourage diversity of thought as well as the whole system and it’s an educational opportunity for students to see this kind of theater,” Dave Hager, UW-Fox Valley university, told a local Fox News affiliate, adding that student fees were used to bring the show to campus, which cost several thousand dollars.
“UW-Fox Valley should be taking a long hard look at what they are encouraging students to be involved in under the guise of diversity. This isn’t about diversity, this is about promotion of an agenda,” said Julaine Appling, president of Wisconsin Family Action.
“It’s just contrary to my religion and I would feel uncomfortable seeing it,” said Hannah Larson of Appleton.
And Larson says she doesn’t see what the educational benefits could be.
“No, not really, I don’t see how that could be educational for anyone,” she said.
In the wake of the uproar, a sex-advice columnist came to the rescue of the show, which had suffered from lackluster ticket sales, the Post–Crescent Media reported.
Syndicated sex-advice columnist and author Dan Savage bought 175 tickets to a drag show at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley and donated them for student use after a leader of a conservative Wisconsin group spoke out against the show.
Savage said buying the tickets to Thursday night’s drag show put on by the college’s Campus Activities Board and the Gay-Straight Alliance sent a message of support to students as well as a warning to the Wisconsin Family Action.
“It’s important for the queer kids, like at UW-Fox Valley and high schools, to know that they have support in the world and it’s important for politicians like that to know that as well,” Savage said in a Wednesday interview with Post-Crescent Media. “They can’t just, with absolute impunity, malign and attack people because of their gender expression. That they will hear from us and there will be push back.”
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