Business school looks to first annual drag ball

Preparing for finals? Ugh, what a drag!

However busy final schedules may be, students can look forward to unwinding on May 5 at The Library for the first-ever Kenan-Flagler Business School’s Drag Ball.

The business school's Pride club is organizing a night of drag entertainment, contests and prizes from local retail shops to celebrate the year coming to an end and to raise awareness for the LGBT community.

Mitchell Dudas, first-year MBA candidate, said the club’s primary mission is to be a resource for the LGBT community beyond UNC’s campus.

“One of our big goals is to be more of a force in the local community,” he said. “We’re trying to start a partnership with Raleigh Pride and teaming up with Lambda Law, which is the Law’s School Pride Group on campus. In light of H.B. 2, we want to be a resource for the Triangle area, not just our students.”

Dudas said although the ball was intended to be an event just for the Kenan-Flagler Business School, the club opened it up to the larger community after House Bill 2 was passed.

“After H.B. 2 passed, we decided that it wasn’t really appropriate to have the event just for the business school, so we decided to open it up to the larger community,” he said. “We want this to be a rally.”

Kenan-Flagler student, Amy Strunk said it’s an important cause in light of many UNC students being against the bill.

“I don’t see the effects of H.B. 2 at all in school. Nobody is scouting out the bathrooms or telling people where to go,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of students come opposed to it. Most people have been really supportive.”

Beyond the event’s political implications, Strunk said the event will be a fun night and a great way to wind down the year.

“It’s going to be fun. It’s not like we’re going to be making any crazy political statements or preaching at anybody,” Strunk said. “If you’ve never experienced that kind of thing before, it’s going to be a soft entry into the world of drag.”

Dudas said drag balls have historically been used as a place of refuge for the LGBT community.

“There’s a slight difference between what we’re doing and traditional drag show,” he said. “We’re making this more of a drag ball — which originated in New York — as a place for the LGBT community or really any minority group to come and feel that they had a space to express themselves. We’re really trying to foster a community for that type of expression.”

Tim Smith, a Kenan-Flagler student and a member of KFBS Pride, said he’s excited to perform in the event.

“I just look at it as an opportunity to express myself and let my inner diva out,” he said. “It’s a social event in the community that I wanted to partake in.”

Prizes will be awarded throughout the night from Rise and The Spotted Dog in Carrboro for categories like Most Femme/Believable Woman, Most Masculine and Best Camp Queen.

“I know that we’re going to have a great presence from the business school,” Dudas said. “But beyond that, we’re trying to open it up to the larger community, so I’ve contacted several drag performers and performance artists in the area and have asked them to reach out to their fan base as well.”

Strunk said KFBS Pride encourages UNC students and the community at large to participate.

“It’s always good to come out and try something that you’ve never seen before.” 

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