Frat bros-turned-drag queens light up Lisner stage

A Sigma Phi Epsilon brother excited the crowd with a whip during a rendition of Britney Spears’s ‘Circus.’ He was one of 11 fraternity brothers donning drag for the Allied in Greek show Wednesday. Gabriella Demczuk | Senior Staff Photographer

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Leonore Princiott.

More than 500 students turned out to see nearly a dozen fraternity brothers-turned-drag queens strut their sequins and spandex across Lisner Auditorium stage Wednesday.

Skits prepared by the 20 fraternities and sororities – with songs ranging from Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” to Mulan’s “Reflection” – kept the audience cheering and snapping pictures for more than an hour.

Beta Theta Pi member Michael Morgan won the competition after earning the only perfect 10 of the night. Morgan danced to both the classic 1980’s hit “Come on Eileen” and Britney Spears’s “Womanizer” – swapping outfits midway through.

As he closed out his elaborate dance , complete with a strip tease, Morgan jumped off a chair in his heels and earned a standing ovation from the audience.

“I have a little bit of history in dance and theater so I thought this would be a great opportunity to come up here and support two great organizations,” said Morgan, who added that his sister is “very happily married to another woman.” Morgan is also running for Student Association president.

Allied in Greek, the first-ever event hosting by the LGBT and Greek communities on campus, brought in about $2,000 for the Trevor Project, which combats LGBT youth suicide, and Beta Theta Pi’s philanthropy, The Feel Good Foundation, which is dedicated to 9/11 first responders.

A professional drag queen named Chanel helped judge the competition and kicked off the show by  jamming to a Demi Lovato top 40 hit.

“We can’t just give a check to somebody. Oh, hell no. You’ve got to earn it,” Chanel, wearing a black evening dress and blonde beehive updo, said. ”So how are these kids going to earn it tonight? To quote RuPaul, they’re going to lip-sync for their lives.”

During another exciting skit, a pink spandex-clad Sigma Phi Epsilon brother performed a rendition of Britney Spears’s “Circus.” As he danced, he bore his purple sequined bra and used his whip to excite the crowd.

“That was kind of a little disturbing, and I think I liked it,” Chanel said. The performance was rated an eight out of 10.

The contestant from Zeta Beta Tau had a hard time adjusting to his high heels, nearly tripping during a performance of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” Dolled up in a teal dress and a long brunette wig, he earned a score of seven for his skit.

President of Allied in Pride Nick Gumas said he was awed by the support of the Greek community at the event, and said he hopes the event will be annual.

“I am so happy to see that we have such a large, accepting Greek community. I expected them to show up and support their members but they did above and beyond that,” Gumas said. “They cheered for everyone and everyone stayed to the end.”

This article was updated March 7, 2013 to reflect the following:

The Hatchet originally reported that more than 100 audience members turned out for Allied in Greek. More than 500 individuals turned out.