Legendary

If you’re not familiar with Ballroom culture, I’m here to help you with that. Yes, we’ve got Pose. Yes, you may have watched Paris is Burning. But Vogue is the expression of black and brown bodies in an environment where being a minority within a minority within a minority is not a handicap. Gay MOC find many challenges that other demographics do not face: they suffer racism from society at large and homophobia within and without the community they belong to. It's a no-win situation.

So the Ballroom scene provides a haven for men who have been thrown out of their homes for being homosexual, for men whose gender expression collides with their skin color and makes them the focus of discrimination even within the LGBTQ community. I think it's sad that so many gay men pander to the notion that there is ONE way to be gay: outwardly masculine and white.

The way these safe spaces allow for creativity, growth and entertainment is something that cannot be easily discarded. Apart from providing refuge to many LGBTQ kids, the Balls promote a sense of community and purpose for a demographic that would otherwise be shunned even by some of their peers. I wish I had more time to patronize the scene or help create some awareness towards this art form that many gay men do not even recognize as entertaining. So I wrote this post.

And that was Philly. If you want a taste of the NY Ballroom scene, then watch this next video I found online. Cause I’m always thinking about cha. You’re welcome.



XOXO