Roger Vazquez (junior, Communication Studies) and Stephanie Landeros (junior, Sociology) are two friends whose love for drag has brought them together.
Drag is a form of theatrical art expression that personifies gender features. Usually, the performer is playing a character of the opposite gender. The art of drag can be traced back in time to the first Shakespearian plays, which included male actors playing female roles.
You don’t need to travel back in time to enjoy a drag show; today, Vazquez and Landeros are bringing the art of drag to California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State).  
Vazquez is a drag queen – a female character with exaggerated feminine features and personality – who goes by Alison Jade Dove.
“Alison knows she’s the bad girl on the block, but at the same time she doesn’t have to prove herself to anyone because everyone else is too busy looking up to her,” Vazquez said.
Landeros is a drag king, which is a male character with exaggerated masculine features and personality. Landeros’ alter ego goes by Vincent Parker and is modeled after Bruno Mars.
“I just try to absorb his personality and style on stage,” Landeros said. 
With the sudden shift to mainstream status, drag culture is able to reach a younger audience, helping kids like Vazquez and Landeros find their passion. This cultural change is believed to be intertwined with “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” a reality television series that searches for “America’s Next Drag Superstar.”
Vazquez first discovered his love for dressing up as the opposite gender as a young child.
“I personally have always had a thing for the opposite gender. When I was younger I would use my mom’s makeup and I would play all the time with it, pretending to be someone else” Vazquez said.
His love of dressing up has stuck around and evolved. Vazquez now enjoys dressing up for performances, or to simply strut around in his seven inch heels. 
“I love walking in heels. I do it in drag and out of drag. I just like feeling tall, especially with a Britney Spears song playing in the background,” Vazquez said.
Vazquez found both confidence and passion through drag, which he wishes to share with the public.
“Most of the time people do it for the fame and money, but I do it to inspire,” Vazquez said. “I want people to see me and say, ‘If he has enough confidence to be walking like that in public, then I should have confidence to be myself.'”
For Landeros, drag is an outlet to show the world a different persona that she relates to and connects with. 
“I identify as gender fluid, and it took it me long time to realize I identify that way (…) being a drag king just felt comfortable. I feel that I fit Vincent very well,” Landeros said. 
Both Landeros and Vazquez are full-time students, but it hasn’t slowed the young drag duo down. The support from their fellow classmates and fans helps them work hard not only in school, but on their drag performances as well.
“I post my pictures all over my social media and I get a lot of supportive, positive feedback,” Vazquez said. “My friends are surprised of how good I can dress and how feminine a guy can look.”
Both Vazquez and Landeros started performing drag during their first year at Stan State. They found their calling at Love Evolution’s annual Rainbow Prom, a LGBTQ+ prom on campus that showcases students’ drag performances.
They debuted their drag personas with a duet performance of the 1978 “Grease” classic, “Summer Nights.”
Currently, they both perform drag recreationally for school events and photo shoots. Though, if given the opportunity they would both do drag professionally.
Students can watch Alison Jade Dove and Vincent Parker perform during Associated Students Inc.’s annual drag show, or at Love Evolution’s annual Rainbow Prom.