SXU Spectrum Alliance once again used the power of drag to unify the school for a night of fun and playful banter.
The club hosted a viewing party for RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4 in the communal area of Pacelli Hall.
As the episode went underway, the group that had congregated on the seats leaned in towards the television set. During each commercial break, the attendants, though having no prior interactions with one another, began to introduce themselves and recount stories of their encounters with the queer experience.
When the episode continued, speech dissipated into hushed murmurs. Attendants took much delight out of getting to critique the contestants “lewks” and “spilling tea”. When the episode came to a conclusion, the attendees spoke amongst themselves on the elimination for that weeks episode, Valentina.
John Calahunan, President of SXU Spectrum Alliance, was pleased with his experience of the night. “It was a pretty good turn out. “I thought that no one was going to come because of the weather, but I’m glad that people came.” Spectrum’s mission is to provide an inclusive space around campus for everyone of any identity, queer or otherwise. “With the Drag Show last year, there were people who came that I wouldn’t have expected to be there, which is great! They showed some interest, and that could incite their interest into Drag, which leads to a deep dive into an appreciation of [queer culture].”
When asked on his view of how the LGBT+ identified experience has been in his time at SXU, Calahunan was quoted, “I feel like I’ve been treated as an equal here. I haven’t received any hate for it…I feel like it’s more accepted here, which is good.
“I feel comfortable being part of the community at Saint Xavier. I hadn’t felt in high school, which was also good. I know that some people have, and I hope they can find just as much peace and comfort like I have felt here.”
Several queer identifying students from SXU Spectrum have expressed that the idea of attending a private Catholic university implied that their sexuality would have to kept in the dark, only to discover how nurturing the SXU campus would be.
When asked for his initial expectations, Calahunan said, “I didn’t even think about it being a Catholic school. It wasn’t in the front of my mind, which is interesting because it’s true; it is a catholic institution, and you’d think that being a part of the LGBT community wouldn’t be accepted.
“But I feel like it’s pretty liberal here. A lot of people that I’ve met have been super open minded and accepting.” In the future, Calahunan would love to see attendance grow.
“I would like for Spectrum Alliance to have more people come. I want it to transition from a meeting format to something more laid-back. My colleague from Ball State University has told me that within their Spectrum Alliance, the energy is chill and they just hang out.
“They can get pretty wild sometimes, which is fun, and that’s how I’d like our Spectrum to be, so that people will feel excited to come rather than obligated.”
Calahunan could rely that as far as future events, a lot of interest had surfaced for another tie dye event, as well as the event in honor of National Coming Out Day, but that they were still in their early stages of planning.
When asked if he had any words of encouragement for people who were interested in attending, Calahunan shared, “Spectrum Alliance was envisioned as a place for anyone to come visit and feel comfortable being themselves, whether they are [queer] or not.
“All of us are pretty chill. We never judge. Everyone is invited, everyone is included, and everyone is loved.
“It’s not restricted to the community. We want everyone to be involved and to spread tolerance and acceptance.”
SXU Spectrum can be found on The Den, as well as Twitter and Instagram @ SXUspectrum. Meetings occur biweekly on Thursday in the Warde Academic Center, room S101 from 5-6pm
Eric Perez
News Reporter