LGBTQ+ Western, Bellingham Queer Collective and PFLAG Whatcom will host an intergenerational drag show at the Mount Baker Theatre on January 29 from 5-8 p.m. in celebration of the first anniversary of their Generations of Pride event.
Generations of Pride is a monthly potluck dinner for LGBTQ+ community members over the age of 18, held at the Bellingham Senior Activity Center. JoeHahn, the director of LGBTQ+ Western, said the first dinner was in January 2024, but the idea had been in the works for some time.
Kate McLean, a Western professor with a doctorate in psychology, conducted nationwide survey research in 2022 investigating whether different generations of the queer community felt isolated from one another. The results showed that they did, and McLean presented her work at a panel on Western’s campus in the spring of 2023.
Members of LGBTQ+ Western, PFLAG Whatcom and the Bellingham Queer Collective were present at the panel and started a conversation with McLean afterward about how to remedy the generational disconnect. Soon, they had the idea to establish a gathering place for the queer community in Bellingham, McLean said.
JoeHahn said there have been over 300 unique attendees within the last year at Generations of Pride, ranging in age from 18 to 82. He said the dinner has helped bridge the gap in queer culture between generations, and the advice flows both ways.
“Students provide different perspectives, such as how neopronouns exist and all the [pride] flags that are out there now, and even more detailed conversations about their own coming out and what it looks like today,” JoeHahn said.
He said some elders in the community didn’t come out until they were in their 60s or older, so it was nice for them to receive guidance and support from people who have been out since elementary or middle school.
The drag showcase will be hosted by Sage Valentine, 22, and Betty Desire, 70. The pair have performed together in the past at WWU QueerCon, a student-organized convention where artists, panelists, performers, and nonprofits can share their work.
Desire, dubbed by Valentine as “a staple in the Bellingham drag community,” has been performing locally for over 30 years. She has seen the evolution of local venues become more accepting of queer individuals, especially drag performers.
“I believe that Bellingham has come so far in the time that I've been involved in the community that it's absolutely astonishing,” Desire said. “It makes me proud; I brag about our city everywhere I go.”
Valentine, a Western alum and former Royal Gambit Drag Club officer, has been doing drag for six years. They are excited to host with Betty Desire, referring to her as an “icon” and a “legend.”
“From my queer elders, I've been able to see different possibilities for life and know that there is a community for me, whether it be 10 or 20 years down the line,” Valentine said.
That was the goal, said Michelle Harmeier, founder and board president of the Bellingham Queer Collective. The collective plans social events, supports LGBTQ+ and BIPOC-owned local businesses and co-operates The Q Center with Northwest Youth Services, which serves LGBTQ+ and unhoused youth in Bellingham.
Harmeier takes pride in the fact that the three organizing groups are an intergenerational model, with LGBTQ+ Western being made up of a younger crowd and PFLAG Whatcom and Bellingham Queer Collective members typically being older.
“I'm excited to hear the conversations from all generations about what drag means to them,” Harmeier said. “It’s an incredibly important art form where people can be free to express themselves.”
Desire and Valentine both expressed the importance of focusing on shared values and coming together as a community during an uncertain political climate. The Trump Administration has recently announced its intentions to enforce the biological gender binary in an executive order, and many states have passed legislation prohibiting transgender health care for youth.
“Now more than ever, it's important for different generations in the LGBT community to really start uniting rather than saying, you're different because of this,” Valentine said. “Let’s let our differences come together and be a reason to celebrate rather than divide.”
For Desire, being an elder in the community means having a responsibility to teach and support the younger generation through this difficult time.
“The struggles that we're going to be facing in the near future are not new,” Desire said. “We need to get off the couch and start reassuring our younger members of our community that they're gonna be OK, that we got their back.”
For more information and accommodations, view the event page here. For LGBTQ+ resources, readers can visit the LGBTQ+ Western homepage or the 7th-floor Multicultural Center in the Viking Union.
Natalie Jones (she/they) is a campus life reporter for The Front this quarter. She is a third-year visual journalism major. In their free time, they make collage art & jewelry, take too many photos and direct the treble A Cappella club on campus. You can reach her at nataliejones.thefront@gmail.com.
