A team of four University of Michigan students hosted “Drag Me to Paradise” in the Modern Language Building Friday, March 28. The event, organized as part of a class project for PSYCH 223: Entrepreneurial Creativity, served as a fundraiser for the Jim Toy Community Center.
Open to all, the PG-13 performance featured the Heads Over Heels show, a Queer drag and variety show hosted by Zooey GayChanel with dance routines and lip-sync performances from drag king Swayze Stardust and queens Valentina Rosé, Britney Carey and Lana Sevol.
The event sold more than 70 tickets to students and community members and had a fundraising goal of $1,000, with all sales donated to the Jim Toy Community Center. The organizers passed this goal, raising a total of more than $1,200 for JTCC.
The student team, also known as “The Wig Whisperers,” consists of Engineering senior Sunny Patel, LSA senior Divya Agarwal, sophomore Amya Hentschel and junior Raki Krishnan. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Agarwal and Hentschel discussed the team’s intentions behind the project. Agarwal said the team wanted to create an event that fosters a safe and educational environment within the community.
“We specifically wanted to do something that was not just fun for us to organize but also fun for the community in general, as well as give back and actually have it do some good,” Agarwal said. “I also think a large part of our Michigan community is unaware or uneducated on what drag is, (and) its history, what good it does for the community. So, that is why we also felt that this was an important event to do at a University location, so people could be exposed more to that.”
JTCC is a resource center for LGBTQ+ members of Washtenaw County best known for organizing Ann Arbor Pride, with a focus on education programs, community partnerships and engagement. The center opened a new physical location in November 2024 after shutting down during COVID-19. The location now hosts a combination of social groups and peer support groups for the LGBTQ+ community. Joe Halsch, executive director and president of JTCC, said in an interview with The Daily he wants students to know the JTCC is a resource to support the University community.
“I want the University community to know that we’re here for them as well,” Halsch said. “I know that the University is in the state of flux right now, and I want the University to know that they’ve got a friend in us and a network partner in us. So if they’re looking for space, or if you’re looking for help or assistance, then reach out, let us know and we’d love to get you involved in a number of different ways.”
To fund the event, the student team received sponsorships from the University’s ArtsEngine, Arts Initiative and The Edward Ginsberg Center, as well as community business partners such as Lucky Monkey Tattoo,, Cinnaholic, Spun and, Detroit Street Filling Stations.
LSA sophomore Emma Johns said she had not heard of JTCC before the event, but was now interested in the center as a result of the show.
“I think it makes me interested in learning more about (JTCC), and seeing if it’s something exciting,” Johns said. “When I learn about a new organization, I’m always excited about it.”
Agarwal told The Daily she had hoped the night would offer an opportunity for attendees to find safety and comfort in one another given recent events such as the closing of the University’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
“With the DEI office being shut down at Michigan, as well as the overall political climate in the country in general, I think now more than ever it’s very important to have community and to show up for each other, support each other and create a safe space where people can feel themselves,” Agarwal said.
Daily Staff Reporter Josephine Anderson can be reached at jganders@umich.edu.
The post UMich students host Drag Me to Paradise fundraiser for Jim Toy Community Center appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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