The evolution of GLOZET: creating a safe queer space on the Corner

James Torgerson / V Mag at UVA

What began as a one-off night of pride has evolved into a beloved evening of entertainment unlike anything else the University’s Corner has to offer. 

In 2020, Crozet Pizza and Buddhist Biker Bar employees Whatley Ozer and John Hurst pitched GLOZET: a queer bar night with DJ sets to “celebrate your singledom or hatred for the commercialized, heteronormative Valentine’s Day,” in the words of their Facebook post. The event was an instant hit with bar management, and GLOZET has served as a highly-anticipated recurring event for students and community members ever since.

Today, while still creating a fun and unique space for queer students and community members to gather and celebrate, the GLOZET program now includes an extra element that makes it all the more special.

“The first one was like a test,” Crozet owner Jordan Brunk said. “But it grew and grew as we advertised it more. [GLOZET] took a whole new life form when we incorporated the drag show.”

While GLOZET offers a first-of-its-kind drag show to the Corner, such shows are nothing new. Drag typically consists of performers dressing in exaggerated clothing and outlandish makeup performing songs and comedy routines to satirize norms of gender expression. These performers, dubbed drag kings or drag queens, often — but not always — dress in a gender they do not identify with outside of drag.

Beau Tox, the host of the drag show charged with selecting performers and curating the energy of the event, has welcomed attendees since he became the host last October. The Richmond-based drag king first got involved with GLOZET when the previous host, Bebe Gunn, invited him to perform nearly two years ago.

Beau Tox said the energy of the crowd makes GLOZET special. Because of the small venue, he said performers can feel every bit of the crowd’s enthusiasm.

“[Drag performers] always say that truly, what fuels us is the energy that we get from the audience,” Beau Tox said. “Every time I've been at GLOZET, whether as a host or as a performer, the crowd is wanting to be there, wanting to have fun. The energy is almost electric to both the performers and the people who are in the crowd.”

Incorporating a drag show is not the only way the event has changed over the years. In addition to DJ arrangements, the bar now also hosts local bands as part of the night’s creative showcase. The most recent group to take the stage was none other than Loose Champagne, an R&B and Funk student band that became a staple of GLOZET a year and a half ago.

GLOZET organizers asked Loose Champagne to join the program after a number of performances at the bar where they built a strong relationship with the management. 

“One day [they] just asked us if we wanted to play that night, and we said yes,” said Isabel Xiao, Loose Champagne bassist and third-year College student. “It was a huge hit, and people loved it, and [they have] wanted us back for every GLOZET.”

Xiao agreed there is something exceptional about the energy of the crowd on GLOZET nights — the audience’s engagement and lively dancing make it a unique experience for performers.

Veiled under Beau Tox’s unrelenting humor and the incredible music of Loose Champagne remains, of course, something even more important. The event plays a crucial role on the Corner because it provides a safe space to be unapologetically queer and proud in a southern city where those identities have historically been looked down upon.

It is no secret that the University — and the South — has not always been the most welcoming place for marginalized groups. Although the University has grown more accepting over the decades, it was historically a challenging environment for queer-identifying students. What’s more, at the beginning of March this year, the University abolished its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office.

“You have so many queer people who are scared to go out on the stage, or who are scared to be themselves in everyday life, who are scared to come out,” Beau Tox said. “They can look to these people who are so open and loving with themselves.” 

According to Beau Tox, drag is, and always has been, a form of resistance. Ongoing national debates over banning drag in some southern cities have created uncertainties about the future of the art form in the United States. In March, a judge intervened to block Texas A&M University from enforcing a ban on drag performances on its campus in the wake of Donald Trump’s executive order regarding “gender ideology.”

Given the current social environment of the country, Beau Tox said he has only found it more important for drag to be visible. 

“I think [drag has] always had that element of resistance, and that element of trying to propel the community, not only forward, but in a public light, to say that we are here and that we deserve to be respected and that we won't go anywhere,” Beau Tox said.

No matter how the political landscape changes over the next few years, one thing is certain — GLOZET will remain a vital space for queer students to be vocal and proud about their identities.

This semester, GLOZET had its first event March 29 and will have another April 24, with both featuring Beau Tox and cast members Daya B. Tease and Rayvnn Lazuli. In the meantime, Beau Tox performs regularly in the Richmond area at bars including Godfrey’s and Fallout.