Competitors showed off carabiners, guitars, and Old Spice deodorant to a packed bar crowd during a “performative masc contest” held at Shakers on Sept. 25.

Alphabet Soup Events, a queer event organization focused on the sapphic community, organized the contest at the LGBTQ-friendly bar on the U Street Corridor. The free event reached capacity, with cheers echoing outside and a line of patrons trailing on to the sidewalk.

The competition instilled a queer twist on the “performative male contest,” an event popularized through social media and seen across college campuses in recent months. While the latter satirizes men feigning certain beliefs or appearances to attract women, Alphabet Soup Events tailored the concept to the sapphic community.

The contest began with 14 competitors “catwalk

See Full Page