Elation and rainbow lights washed over hundreds of attendees who danced the night away at San Francisco venue The Chapel for Queer Prom on Saturday night, an exuberant evening filled with drag performers, cheerleaders and even a marching band.
Emcee and drag queen Peaches Christ, introducing themselves as “Principal Christ,” got the crowd energized and roaring.
“I think the biggest rule tonight is to have fun,” Peaches said. “Celebrate each other, celebrate our differences and kick off Pride month in San Francisco!”
The marching band played familiar tunes, such as Lil Nas X’s “Old Time Road,” and the Broadway Bares cheerleaders squad performed a number as well. The crowd burst into yells and cheers as drag acts by Newoncé and Avery Daniels rocked the stage. A fashion show saw prom-goers dressed by local queer designers strut down the runway while prom royalty were crowned kings, queens and monarchs.
Throughout the night, the crowd stepped and shook their bodies to music. Impulse San Francisco Events Director Katie Conrad, who organized the event, said that she and designer Saul Sugarman organized a fashion show for San Francisco Pride in 2022 and came up with the idea for the prom.
“We really want to provide a prom experience that many people within the LGBTQIA community were not able to have,” Conrad said.
Dressed in an all-white outfit they described as “going for Greek god,” Mars Reyes was very excited for Queer Prom.
“I want to dance my ass off and be around all these cute queers,” Reyes said, giggling.
Alyx-Reid Renacer, 19, said they were most looking forward to being in a place with lots of queer people, a space they don’t often get to navigate—even in San Francisco.
“I live in the Tenderloin. Mostly, I just get transphobic rants at me,” Renacer said. “So being around other queer people and actually having the gall to come to an event is pretty exciting for me.”
If you have a tux or a spaghetti-strap dress all picked out but you didn’t make it to The Chapel, the LGBT Center is throwing a Queer Prom of its own on Saturday, June 16.
