Students can get a glimpse of Eastern’s wild side at Pride’s jungle-themed Diva Drag Show featuring six professional queens and one king.

The show begins at 8 p.m. today in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Tickets are available for $4 at the doors, which open at 6:45 p.m.

Pride member Kirstin Bowns, a junior education major, coordinated the event to complement a sweeping awareness campaign to promote acceptance and unity on campus with the Public Relations Student Society of America.

The campaign will launch full swing at tonight’s festivities, which Bowns promises will fill the Union with music, mascara and more which must be seen to be believed.

“You can expect to see six-foot-tall men in six-inch heels doing the splits, back flip, and crazy dance moves all while looking better than any ‘real’ woman in the room,” Bowns said.

She hopes to incorporate a unique environment to represent Eastern’s diverse Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender community.

Half of the proceeds from the show will be dedicated toward Pride. The other half will be donated to support the university’s Sexual Assault Counseling and Information Services, along with a special cause adopted by the organization.

This year, Pride chose to help support Project Lazarus, a nondiscriminatory New Orleans-based house that provides 24-hour care to individuals living with HIV and AIDs.

If Pride raises $500 to commit to this cause, it would provide an entire day’s care for a resident.

“Unfortunately this year, we did not raise anywhere near what we had hoped to,” Bowns said, who encourages attendants to donate to each of the causes individually at the show. “Honestly, I’m very scared we are not going to raise what we want to make a sizable donation to the two groups or keep Pride running comfortably.”

As Pride exclusively funds the entire Diva Drag Show, donations from various organizations continue to enable this event, estimated to cost about $1,200 after all expenses and paying the performers.

T-shirts advocating awareness will also be available to pre-order at the show and are intended to support members and allies of LGBT community.

“I think we receive support on this campus, but we are a long way off from being really supported and accepted the way we should be,” Bowns said.

Erica Whelan can be reached at 581-7942

or elwhelan@eiu.edu.