New York university hosts drag queen at youth event

Binghamton University in upstate New York hosted a drag queen as the keynote speaker at an event aimed at “youth,” including middle and high schoolers, as well as adults.

The school’s Q Center organized the “United in Identity: Queer Youth Conference,” which it said focused on “critical issues facing LGBTQ+ youth” and promoted “expressions of queer joy.”

The Oct. 21 event brought “over 70 youth and students from within an hour’s radius of Binghamton,” according to the university’s news outlet, BingUNews. The website did not make clear if there was any age limit. It was the first time the event had been held since COVID-19 and featured an expanded reach into the South Central New York region.

The featured speaker, “Mrs. Kasha Davis,” is a drag performer who calls himself a “Drag Queen storyteller & speaker.” Photos on his Instagram page show him speaking to a group of children inside a university classroom.

The school invited “university students and youth from local and regional schools” to attend. It also allowed adults to participate in “breakout sessions” with diversity, equity and inclusion staff members. These sessions were meant to teach “advocacy and support of LGBTQ+ students.” 

Nick Martin, the Q Center’s associate director, said the center was building its audience beyond local high schools and seeking to “work with younger kids.” 

“Over the several years that I’ve been here, I’ve tried to make better connections with the local community and school districts. Going into this year, we were in about as good of a position as we could be,” he said, according to BingUNews. “The previous version didn’t really include the campus in any specific ways, but it was a goal to include students who want to work with younger kids. All of this led us to shift the scope; rather than just Southern Tier local high schools, we branched out to South Central New York.” 

Martin also said he hoped students “leave with the tools to take back to their high and middle schools,” as well as materials for gay/straight alliance leaders. 

Davis, the drag queen, told students during his speech, “If you see injustice in your world, document it and speak up. Continue to find your tribe, because when multiple lights gather together, the light is so bright it attracts others,” the outlet reported. 

The university described the conference as an opportunity for “coalition building” and “social empowerment.” 

“While it is a challenging, darker time in many ways – with the community facing a lot of overt threats – we want to provide space where we can find happiness and uplift the experiences of everyone within the LGBTQ+ community,” Martin said. 

He also wants to expand the event, possibly to include “weekend opportunities” for youth who are not out to their families, BingUNews reported. 

Critics say events like these blur boundaries between adult entertainment and childhood education. Many Christian families have objected to public institutions exposing minors to drag performances, arguing schools should instead focus on reading, writing and math. 

Binghampton is a public institution, part of the State University of New York system, which receives significant support from taxpayers. 

(Image credit: Instagram/mrskashadavis)