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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – The new school year is underway at UW-Madison. New freshmen are on campus.
Each year the school organizes social events for new students to meet each other. There’s a block party. There’s a photograph taken of all the new students forming a giant “W”. And this year, there was drag queen bingo, hosted by the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center.
That the state’s flagship university even has a Gender and Sexuality Center is shocking. Shouldn’t the official policy of the UW be that students are free to explore their gender and sexuality on their own; it’s not a function of the university?
‘Drag Brunch Bingo’ included four drag queens who worked the crowd. But first – there was some indoctrination. The head of the Gender and Sexuality Center opened with a brief slide presentation. Slide topics included “what is drag?” and “drag show etiquette”. Newcomers were told to “leave the assumptions at the door” and that drag queens appreciate tips.
Once the bingo began one of the drag queens said it was “a good Christian game, with good Christian values.” So… my faith was mocked for good measure.
Someone at UW, please explain to me why, from day one on campus, debauchery and sexual deviance are normalized for new students? Once the dorm rooms and unpacked and the parents are gone, students are free to explore the new campus. Why in those first days does UW immediately present the message “this is what’s normal around here… feel free to indulge if you like.”
Most students go to college to further their education. Certainly there are some who explore and push social boundaries. One is in keeping with the UW’s core mission. To present the other as normalized behavior is an outrage, and is a gross disservice to the new students.
Chris Conley
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