NORTH MANCHESTER - Manchester University will host a performance and conversation with drag queens Neon Van Ryan and Dixxxie Licious as part of the Values, Ideas and the Arts (VIA) series.
The program is Oct. 9 at 11 a.m. in Cordier Auditorium at the North Manchester campus. It is free and open to the public.
The performers will discuss the politicization of drag and explore their own experiences of coming out and the personal importance of drag in their lives. Drag is the highly stylized performance of femininity, masculinity or other forms of gender expression that often involves comedy and social and political satire, according to the news release from Manchester University.
National Coming Out Day is Oct. 11. First observed in 1988 on the anniversary of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, National Coming Out Day celebrates those who have come out as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Both Neon Van Ryan and Dixxxie Licious attended Manchester, and Van Ryan is a 2014 graduate.
For anyone interested in on-campus and community resources, there will be tables in the Cordier lobby with representatives from Student Life and the student organization United Sexualities & Genders.
The VIA series each semester offers a variety of speakers to promote dialogue and learning about a variety of ideas. Manchester's Mission Statement makes it clear the University "respects the infinite worth of every individual," and audience members are welcome to join the discussion in that spirit.