Drake Theatre People’s Cabargay — or gay cabaret — adorned Olmsted Center with rainbows and feather boas on Nov. 8. The event included a slate of queer performers who sang and danced to a variety of pop and musical theater tunes. All the proceeds from the night went to OneIowa, a Des Moines-based advocacy group that fights anti-LBGTQ+ legislation 

People began to trickle in as the combined mocktail hour and art gallery hosted by the Artists’ Advocacy Association began at 6 p.m. in the breezeway. Tunes like “Born This Way” and “Pink Pony Club” blared as people sipped on $2 mocktails, flavored “Taste the Rainbow,” “Sweet Transvestite” or “Lesbian Sunrise.”

At 7 p.m., local drag queen and emcee for the night, Robin Graves, took to Pomerantz Stage. Her opening number ended with a round of applause and hands stretching up toward the stage, dollar bills in hand.

Graves was compensated for her work as an emcee, but any tips given to Graves or one of the 12 student performers all went to OneIowa. Between tips, sales from the mocktail hour and additional online donations (which remained open 24 hours after the event), DTP and AAA were able to raise $767 for OneIowa.

Despite the snowy weather, approximately 70 people showed up — almost double the turnout of last year’s event, DTP President Fiona Bilkey said. Attendees were provided with leftover party hats and noise makers from DTP’s recent performance of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which produced a racket of noise at every performance.

“Theatre kids always bring the energy,” said Lady Ostrich, one of the performers. “They’re always so supportive of performers and they know how hard it is to be on that stage.”

Although there were plenty of “theatre kids” in the crowd, Cabargay still managed to bring in a diverse audience, said AAA President and DTP Junior Class Representative AJ Speck. Bilkey added that while the event draws a largely queer audience, they encouraged anyone and everyone to attend.

“If you’re uncomfortable with queerness, if you don’t understand it …  I want you to come,” Bilkey said. “I want you to see and I want you to get comfortable.”

“Cabargay” is a tradition for DTP, but last year was the first time the organization had done it in a while, Bilkey said. They threw last year’s fundraiser in response to Senate Bill 418, which passed in February and removed protections on gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act.

“Iowa was, once upon a time, a purple state,” said OneIowa Programming Coordinator Cecilia Martinez. “Over the years, politics have gotten really polarizing.”

Martinez encouraged anyone who’s looking for resources for themselves or others to either go to the OneIowa website or reach out via email.

Speck said that although the times feel grim for many queer people, that is exactly why events like these are important.

“We have to keep singing, because they wanna take away our voices,” Speck said. “There is so much hope, no matter what legislation is passed … there are always going to be these communities where you can just come and be.”

Martinez mentioned that many queer Iowans feel pushed to leave the state, as it often feels unwelcoming. Frank Vaia, who graduated from Drake in 1967 and is now an active member of the LGBTQ+ Alumni Association — which had a table set up next to AAA’s mocktail station and art gallery — said that events like these are proof that it’s worth staying.

“I’m fearful about the future … [But] we have too much work to do,” Vaia said.

And work they did — Bilkey, Speck and Graves all pushed for donations throughout the night, including Speck’s pleas to send the donation link “to your rich aunt.” 

For those who couldn’t afford to donate, DTP and AAA also provided an “action guide” that outlined ways to create change in your community — without a price tag. It included subscribing to OneIowa’s email list to receive legislation updates, “keeping up with unbiased facts” on the Iowa legislature website, calling/emailing/writing your legislators and making art “with a purpose.” 

Action is necessary because money alone can’t make change, Graves said.

“Building community is what’s gonna raise a big middle finger to what is happening to us actively every day,” Graves said.