Photo by River Wu
UCLA’s Gender, Sexuality, and Society Living-Learning Community (GSS LLC) held its annual Queer Prom on March 1, 2024. The event was decorated around a “fantasy” theme — colored-paper windows resembled the stained glass of a chapel, long vines entangled every chair, and a projection of a firefly-lit forest flashed the words “Queer Prom 2024” in bold letters.
“Queer Fantasy is meant to evoke a sense of escapism from a highly queerphobic, cisheteronormative world and into a world that allows for mysticism and whimsy that queer people can indulge in,” said Co-Head Event Organizer Bellze Tandoc (they/xey). “[It’s] a way for queer people to evoke their queerest selves imaginable and express that outwardly — something that is often denied.”
Given its purpose of encouraging queer expression, an integral characteristic of Queer Prom lies in the fashionable outfits of its attendees. “I don’t have to perform a particular gender, and I’m able to partake in something like makeup — which I really enjoy doing! — without thinking of it as a gendered practice,” Tandoc said.
Ajax Ward (he/him), this year’s elected Queer Prom Royalty, noted how “anything goes” in regard to outfits at the event: “Transmascs in makeup — amazing. Transfems in suits — gorgeous. Cis guys in skirts — cool. Cis girls in pants — beautiful. It just felt like there [weren’t] those dumb rules. People wore what made them feel good and happy, and that was beautiful.”
Ward himself donned a blue silk shirt and a long, black skirt, complete with gold jewelry and blue eyeshadow. In his royalty acceptance speech, he proclaimed, “Transgender rights are human rights!”
Headlining Queer Prom was renowned drag queen Pickle, whose performance included renditions of musical numbers such as “Popular” from “Wicked” and “No One Is Alone” from “Into The Woods.” An attendee emphasized his excitement for the drag appearance prior to the event, as it would be his first time meeting a drag queen in person. Pickle’s entrance was met with loud cheers from a crowd that formed partitions along her path to the stage, which she noted resembled a “runway.”
Glancing across the crowd in awe of Pickle, I felt every elaborate costume and expression evoke the unabashed joy of queerness. Every person in that room, in one way or another, understood how it feels to be different. As Pickle said during her performance, “You are not alone.”
Another notable feature of Queer Prom was the outreach stalls manned by various UCLA organizations, including the Health, Education, and Resource Team (HEART), which distributed free condoms and other supplies to encourage safe sex.
Augustine Wasanthe (they/them), who tabled at the event for both the LGBTQ+ Campus Resource Center and Sexperts, a club on campus that aims to spread awareness about sexual health, said that they enjoyed “describing and explaining LGBTQ+ identities to other people,” as well as other important issues that their organizations advocate for.
Tandoc and fellow organizer Cia Evangelio (she/her) made sure to acknowledge the overstimulating impacts of booming music and flashing lights early in the event, encouraging guests to visit the designated “quiet room” across the hall from the venue if needed. The room exuded a much calmer ambiance — dimmed lights, calming music, and fidget toys were available for attendees seeking temporary refuge from the more boisterous environment of the main event space.
During my visit to the quiet room, I encountered a circle of guests enthusiastically pointing out the dragon-shaped “pop-it” toys dyed in the colors of various pride flags and introducing themselves to one another, showing that the quiet room fostered a similarly celebratory atmosphere despite its softer tone.
Attendees also mentioned an appreciation for the photo booth available at the event. “I think [the photos will be] such a fun souvenir to have for years to come,” Ward said.
Evangelio mentioned that the booth has played a key role in her yearly Queer Prom memories. “I [went to Queer Prom] last year, and I got to see how much I’ve changed within a year.”
Tandoc noted the importance of holding the event annually “because every year brings a new cohort of queer students… to UCLA.” They added, “Queer Prom is a place of joy for people who also return to this event every year to celebrate themselves and the queer spirit [and] to live in spite of the bombardment of news that tries to keep the queer spirit down.”
In the first three months of 2024 alone, 479 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in the United States, and over 200 remain under consideration. Between the so-called queer-inclusive institutional changes and the slew of legislation pushing to repress us again, we are reminded that progress on any issue is never really linear.
Increased public visibility, social acceptance, and queer representation in the media is integral, but that alone is not enough. It remains incredibly essential to host events like Queer Prom that cultivate a welcoming and safe environment for queer people at UCLA, especially queer students from less inclusive spaces.
The shame and violence queer people still face today make every act of joy we create inherently radical. There is a key difference between the “politically correct” acceptance determined by mainstream, capitalistic institutions and the authentic, self-determined expression that truly embodies what it means to be queer.
It is at events like the illuminated ballroom of Queer Prom that the human need to celebrate, express, and love within a community reveals itself in its full glory.
Credits:
Author: Marc Cabilangan (He/Him)
Artist: River Wu (They/Them)
Copy Editors: Ariana Castro (She/Her), Bella (She/Her)