Carmen Carrera came on stage Wednesday night wearing a black cloak. When she took it off, she was left wearing rhinestones.
Carrera, a drag queen made famous by the television program RuPaul’s Drag Race, performed in Pride Awareness Month’s annual drag show at UF on Wednesday at the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom.
“Friends of Dorothy: A Drag Show” featured a montage of performances by drag queens and kings including RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Willam and Detox.
Jade Jolie, a former contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race and Gainesville local, was also in the show.
Ryan Ragusa, a 26-year-old Ocala resident, said he went to the show because it makes him feel comfortable.
“It opens up your eyes,” he said. “The performers joke around but also expose their community in the public.”
The show opened with Willam, the host. She started the string of performances by lip-synching to “Let’s Have a Kiki” by the Scissor Sisters.
Carrera’s performances were received by a line of audience members handing her dollar bills. She acknowledged each of her fans with a kiss on the cheek.
Each of the performers walked through the aisles of the ballroom and interacted with the audience members.
The attendance at the event was capped at 812 people, said Hiram Martinez Cabrera, one of the show’s directors.
The line outside the ballroom continued even after the show started.
Cabrera, a 19-year-old public relations freshman, said about 1,200 people attended the event last year. The cap this year was reduced due to safety regulations.
Although the number of permitted attendees was reduced, Cabrera said the popularity of the show and Pride Awareness Month has increased each year.
“I knew it would grow, but I did not imagine it would this quickly,” he said. “It’s amazing.”
Jade Jolie performs at “Friends of Dorothy: A Drag Show,” presented by Pride Awareness Month in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom on Wednesday evening. Read the story on page 4.
