Ringling College’s Drag Club is a weekly group meet-up that organizes events for drag performers, enthusiasts, and anyone interested in learning more about the craft. The club was established in 2021, and has since become an outlet for Ringling students to support each other through the many crises facing queer communities. The club follows the traditions of drag performances and regularly hosts performances in Scott Plaza and Drag Bingo in the Academic Center auditorium. They offer visitors lessons on drag show etiquette in preparation of the events and the audience gets a sense of the drag ethos during participatory performances.

In their meetings they discuss the culture and history of drag. They have created a nurturing community culture in their weekly meet-ups and online where they share resources on how to vogue, discuss best practices for adding flare to their performance wears, along with hair and make-up tutorials. Club members use this space to discuss their personal struggles and celebrate their achievements. 

For their Queer Talks Panel series, the club invites guest speakers to give talks about their experiences coming out and their activism. The guests include people working towards queer and trans causes. In April the group invited community leader Shannon Fortner, the founder of the Fabulous Arts Foundation, to give a talk about their activism and community-building work in Sarasota. Fortner was recently featured in the PBS documentary The Sarasota Experience, where they discussed the changes that have happened in recent Sarasota history, and the changes the city needs to see in the near future.

Drag Club will resume in the Fall 2023 semester. Follow their Instagram to find out about future performances and talks.