Cross-dress Day
Cross-dress Day, known as Drag Day or Gender Bender Day, depending on site (and, in fact, not known as "Cross-dress Day" at any site), is a set day that occurs once per session on which it is traditional for students (and sometimes RAs) to cross-dress. It occurs on different days at different sites, and is often associated with The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Normally, students exchange clothes with a friend of the opposite gender, although some bring their own clothing.
Recently, some sites have been trying to put an end to Cross-dress Day, usually resulting in protests.
Contents
Lancaster
At Lancaster, Cross-dress Day is always on Second Saturday. The term "Drag Day" (or any other term) is rare at Lancaster; Second Saturday is prevalent. Second Saturday is also Rocky Horror Picture Show Night, when nomores act out "The Time Warp" and "Sweet Transvestite."
Pictures
LAN.05.1: Drew-Brian as Dr. Frank-N-Furter and Eric
Crossdressers at LAN.06.2 (l-r: Lowell, Kib, Colin, Vin)
Carlisle
At Carlisle, Cross-dress Day is referred to as Drag Day, and occurs on Second Tuesday.
Generally, Drag Day is the most-participated in day of all dress-up or theme days. Often, the night before, during Meet Market, a guy and a girl exchange clothing. The next day, they put on the clothing of the opposite sex and strut their stuff while some of the ballerinas secretly take pictures.
Origins of Drag Day
The origins of Drag Day actually have nothing to do with Sound of America; in fact, there were several years where Drag Day and SoA overlapped. In 97.2, Pierre(?), for one reason or another, dressed up as a girl. The administration promptly cracked down, forcing him to change, on the grounds that they had heard angry complaints from parents via the Baltimore office about cross-dressing at CTY. Although it was not known at the time, this was actually an excuse fabricated by the Dean of Residential Life.
After this incident, a mass protest was held by the students (protesting during a dance is actually now against the rules) (see Hall of Fame:CAR). In subsequent years, the theme spread, and Drag Day was born. During the few years when their time on campus overlapped, the Washington Redskins found Drag Day particularly amusing.
Saratoga Springs (Skidmore)
At Skidmore, Cross-dress day is referred to as Drag Day/Gender Bender Day, and occurs on Second Wednesday.
Los Angeles (LMU)
Cross-dress day is called Drag Day or Drag Wednesday at LMU. It occurs on the second Wednesday. Boys often swap clothes with girls during Social Time the night before. As other summer camps are usually going on at the time, students at the site have the pleasure of telling the Kobe kids or other sports camps the various reasons why they've decided to cross dress.
Baltimore
At Baltimore, "Drag Day" is on the second Friday. It is, by far, the most celebrated theme day at JHU. The night before, during Social Time, is when kids swap clothes with opposite genders. It's quite hilarious to have all the tourists watch boys wearing dresses and girls dresses up as gangsters. The girls (turned boys) strut around acting manly while the boys (turned girls) prance around and giggle ever so often.
JHU 08.1: Elise, Nicole, Alice, and Olivia
JHU 08.1: Derek, Eugene, Byron, Kevin, and Brian
Easton
At Easton, Cross-dress day is on the last Wednesday.
