If you would like to donate to help fund an off-campus drag show, this is the GoFundMe link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/offcampus-jcu-drag-show
We, as students of John Carroll University, would like to take this time to express our disagreement with and disappointment in the decision that President Johnson (he/him/his) has made in regard to the University's annual drag show. In a meeting that Dr. Johnson called before the beginning of the semester on August 28th, student leaders Autumn Franz (she/her/hers) '20, Eddie Jenkins (he/him/his) '20, and Leah VanDine (she/her/hers) '20 were informed by President Michael Johnson that he has made the decision to not allow the annual drag show to happen on campus this year, citing many conversations with seminarians, Jesuits, and the Catholic Bishop of Cleveland. However, Dr. Johnson's decision was minimally influenced by students as evidenced by his few meetings with students, even though many have shown support for the event.
Many current students and alumni have expressed support for the drag show and are willing to participate in any student-led action on campus. While we are very disappointed in Dr. Johnson's decision, we will remain respectful towards the University, the President, and to the students' academic success during this time. However, we will not be silenced. Our priority is to serve, protect, and preserve the rich and growing community of diverse individuals on John Carroll's campus. While we plan to fulfill Dr. Johnson's request for an educational series about the LGBTQ+ community, drag, and its relationship with Catholic and Jesuit teachings, we plan to put our energy towards other events and protests as well.
Thank you all for your support!
