It’s time to brush off that suit and tie, or maybe your best dress and heels to support three of Alberta’s finest post-secondary LGBT student organizations: OUTreach, the University of Alberta’s GLBTQQ and Straight-but-not-Narrow student group; Mount Royal College’s Diversity Centre, dedicated to fostering a safe environment for people of all genders and sexual orientations; The University of Calgary’s Queers on Campus, a group of queer people and allies working together to encourage and promote understanding and acceptance of queer people within the greater student, faculty, and staff community at the University of Calgary. This month, all three are presenting their own evenings of gender bending at its finest, to raise money and awareness for their respective organizations.

Play Nightclub in Edmonton will be the host of OUTreach’s “A Night OUT with the Girls” on April 3rd. Mike Cursio, Male Co-Chair of OUTreach, asserts “Despite the title, both Drag Queens and Drag kings are invited to perform.” As Venezuela Calor, Cursio will be hosting the event and asking for audience participation in determining the best performance.

OUTreach is putting a call out for any interested performers to message Mike at outreach@ualberta.ca, with their Drag Name and song they wish to perform. Six to ten performers will be selected, and will be able to entertain the audience on Play’s central stage.

“The show is meant to be our principal fundraiser for the year. We don’t get any financial backing from the University, so we’ve got to raise it all ourselves,” Cursio emphasizes. Tickets for “A Night OUT with the Girls” will be available at the door at 7:30pm, with the show starting at 8pm.

Mount Royal College’s Diversity Centre will also be hosting a Gender Bender of their own. On Saturday March 21st, Diego Padilla and company will be presenting “Glam Slam”, a night dedicated to glam rock and cross dressing. Performing that night will be the talented Fake Mustache, and a sneak preview of the Fringe Festival’s stage presentation “Rocky Horror Picture Show”. Make sure to dress in your Glam Rock finest!

Tickets for “Glam Slam” are available at the Student Association at Mount Royal College, or at the Fake Mustache show at Soda on March 5th. Presale Tickets are $5, cost $10 at the door, but you can reduce it to $6 if you are dressed in drag. For more information, please contact The Diversity Centre.

The University of Calgary’s Queers on Campus (formerly GLASS) will be presenting their annual Gender Bender on April 3rd, at the Den on the University’s campus. The show starts at 9pm. The audience is sure to be entertained by resident drag performers, drinks, and door prizes. Make sure to wear your gender bending finest, and be prepared for a great time. Tickets for the Queers on Campus Gender Bender are $5 in advance and $7 at the door, and are available from any Queers on Campus executive. For more information please contact Queers on Campus.

These student organizations rely on their annual Gender Bender events as their primary means of fundraising for the year. Please support these groups in maintaining a positive space for all students!