Due to the diverse student body in Falmouth there are a range of thriving cultures that make the town what it is, this includes a vibrant drag community that many may have not encountered elsewhere.
I went along to a fundraising event called ‘drag bingo’ hosted by a group of third-year photography students to get some understanding of drag culture and why a small town like Falmouth has been able to create a space in which people feel comfortable with being themselves.
I spoke with Bobby King, one of the founders of Cabbage Patch Club, a weekly LGBT night hosted at Mono, about his take on creating a space that allows for acceptance of views that in other places may become marginalised.
Bobby King told TruthFal – “Cabbage Patch club originated in June 2016, it was set up by me and my friend Jack Cahill, it’s basically meant for small towns that don’t have anything going on LGBT-wise that need a bit of fun and glitter towards their community”.
Events like Cabbage Patch, that allow people to be themselves have seemingly become commonplace here in Falmouth but their importance can’t be overstated for those who come to Falmouth not sure if they will be accepted for who they are.
One such person I spoke with was Izzy Patrick, a first year student who initially worried that she would not being able to bring her love of drag culture or her drag king alter-ego Hugo Bust with her to Falmouth.
“I’m a first year and one of the reasons I wasn’t going to come here was because I thought there wouldn’t be much of a LGBT community, I thought there wouldn’t be a drag community and I was really worried about that situation,” Izzy told TruthFal
For those who are worried about acceptance, it’s through events like this that it can be seen that here anything goes and that the only thing the culture of Falmouth doesn’t have time for is being close-minded.