Full name: Chris Castro
Stage name: Hexxa
Year and major: Junior, Kinesiology
Instagram: @hexxa.xx
All photos by Julie Hunter | Her Campus Penn State
We can hardly believe that the PSU Fall Student Drag Show is tomorrow, and are so excited to watch the fiercest Penn State queens slay. Check out our interview with Chris Castro, AKA Hexxa, below!
HC: How long have you been doing drag?
CC: I started freshman year in the fall. I just tried it out. I stopped and then I got serious [about it] last year, so I guess sophomore year of college.
HC: Did you follow the art form before you started it?
CC: I had heard of RuPaul’s Drag Race when I was a senior in high school, but thought I would never do that. My friend is a makeup artist who convinced me to try it out. I started having visions of who I would be as a drag artist — like a slutty bad b*tch. I got really into it freshman year of college.
HC: How do you think drag has changed you as a person?
CC: It has definitely made me more conscientious of breaking gender roles because I didn’t really know about transsexual people before I did drag. It made me more aware of how people are. It’s kind of a taboo to flip your gender. Hopefully it will be gone one day. It makes me feel like I shouldn’t take life too seriously.
HC: In this particular time in society, why do you feel drag is especially important?
CC: I feel like everyone should be more exposed to how different sex and gender should be. I know that now, [but] I didn’t really back then.
HC: Why do you feel it’s important for people to attend a drag show?
CC: It definitely makes people more open and it gives people more of a window. It gives all people, especially those who don’t understand LGBT culture, a glimpse into how our community is. I love it!
HC: How do you feel drag fights gender norms?
CC: By taking on opposite genders or amplifying your current gender, it over-exaggerates. As a gay male, it lets me express my full sass. I don’t want to be a female, but it’s like a fun entertainment act.
HC: What do you hope the audience takes away from this show?
CC: I definitely want the audience to realize that gender flopping isn’t weird, but fun. It’s art and entertainment, and I want people to appreciate it. I want people to understand our community. That’s why people have these weird notions. They just don’t understand.
HC: How do you feel drag plays a role in Penn State becoming a more inclusive environment?
CC: Penn State is all about diversity, which I still don’t completely see, but hopefully incorporating drag will help vouch for the diversity it claims to have. It gives people something to have in common, like sports. Whether you’re performing or not, you can still support it.
Don’t miss out — come to the PSU Fall Student Drag Show at 10 p.m. on October 12 in Alumni Hall! Admission is free with a valid PSU student ID.