Finding Joy and Family in Ballroom Culture
For Black History Month, celebrating a queer and trans, Black and Latinx tradition.
Ballroom culture panel moderator Breonna McCree with panelists SoHo Tisci, Ashlee Banks, and Jahnell Chanel. All photos by Pax Ahimsa Gethen, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. (More photos here.)
by Pax Ahimsa Gethen
February is Black History Month in the US, a time to honor and celebrate the culture and contributions of members of the African diaspora. Queer and trans people are an important part of that history, as demonstrated by the world’s first legally recognized Transgender District, founded in 2017 by three Black trans women in San Francisco. This month, the district held their third annual health and wellness community fair, which featured a panel discussion titled “Celebrating Joy With a Twist: How Ballroom Culture Provides Joy and Creative Safe Spaces for Black and Brown Folks”.
The discussion was moderated by Breonna McCree, co-executive director of the Trans District, who has been previously featured in Assigned Media. The panelists were Ashlee Banks, of the House of Ebony; fashion stylist SoHo Tisci; and Jahnell Chanel, mother of the International House of Chanel and (as Jahnell Butler) director of trans services at the San Francisco Community Health Center. Following the discussion, community members were invited to walk the floor in a mini ball, with cash prizes.
Community members strike poses at the mini ball.
At the start of the mini ball, commentator Dionne Celine related that ballroom originated in New York City in 1968. Dionne explained that Black trans woman and drag queen Crystal LaBeija stormed out of a drag beauty pageant as “she felt she was treated unfair, and she said, ‘I'm gonna start my own shit,’ and that launched a decades-long dynasty, a legacy, a moment.”
Crystal is credited with founding the house system that forms the heart of Black and Latinx ballroom culture in the US, starting from her own House of LaBeija. Houses serve as safe harbors for queer and trans youth, many of whom are shunned by their birth families. Chosen families of house mothers, fathers, and the children they take under their wings make up these nurturing spaces. Houses help their members prepare to walk in balls, which include categories such as “runway” and “face”.
After the panelists introduced themselves, Breonna asked how they have seen ballroom create access for queer and trans folks. SoHo said that it was “literally like my second home” and “literally saved my life” after getting kicked out of the house. Ballroom gave him “access to everything that I needed to just navigate my life as a gay man in this world.” Jahnell and Ashlee highlighted the access to STD testing and sexual health education at most balls (the Trans District’s community fair offered these resources as well).
Breonna next said that she remembered ballroom culture being “deeply patriarchal”, with participants feeling pressured to look “passable and presentable”. She asked if that aspect of the culture has changed. Jahnell responded that “in that time there wasn’t a lot of positive imagery around Black culture,” and noted that more visibility has allowed people to show up more authentically. She also emphasized that “our community has always been rooted in creativity,” including the sewing and repurposing of clothes.
The panel also discussed how ballroom has created spaces for love and joy, and for chosen families. Jahnell spoke of being a “possibility model for other people in the community”, including her children when she took on the role of overall mother of her house. “I tell people it was everything that I needed that I didn't know,” she said. “It is life-changing. It has affected me forever.” The panelists also spoke of the health benefits from the physical demands of walking in balls.
Regarding the increase in visibility for ballroom, Ashlee noted that it has evolved from being underground to being featured on TV series like Legendary on HBO Max. SoHo appeared on that series, which he said was a “blessing in disguise” that opened up options for him to teach others. Breonna said that it seemed ballroom took off after Leiomy Maldonado and her dance troupe Vogue Evolution appeared on America's Best Dance Crew on MTV.
Speaking of vogue – a highly stylized dance form in ballroom – SoHo decried that “a lot of people have this impression that voguing came from Madonna”, prompting Breonna to exclaim, “Oh, who believes that??” Assigned Media followed up with Breonna and Jahnell on this subject, mentioning that the popularity of Madonna’s “Vogue” single was also a plot point on the FX TV series POSE, a fictional portrayal of New York ball culture in the late 80s to early 90s that featured trans Black and Latinx actors and writers in lead roles. We asked how they felt about the accuracy of that series and other representations of ballroom culture in the media.
“Ballroom culture has often been misunderstood or oversimplified in mainstream media,” Jahnell responded. “While Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ brought global visibility to the art form, vogue was created and nurtured by Black and Latinx queer and trans communities long before it reached the pop mainstream.”
Breonna responded, “As a Black transgender woman who witnessed the evolution of vogue culture, I can say clearly that Madonna did not invent voguing.” She also noted its origins in Black and Latinx ballroom culture, and said, “Madonna was influenced by what was already happening in the underground New York scene. Her song ‘Vogue’ brought visibility, but visibility and creation are not the same thing. The ballroom community existed, innovated, and thrived long before the mainstream paid attention to these architects of culture.”
Regarding TV representations, Jahnell said, “Shows like Pose made important strides in centering the voices of the people who built this culture, but there is still work to do to ensure ballroom is represented with full historical accuracy, depth, and respect.” She went on, “Ballroom is more than performance — it is survival, family, resistance, and joy — and media should honor that complexity.”
Breonna said, “Shows like Pose did an important job of centering Black and trans characters and acknowledging that tension on how mainstream recognition can both uplift and erase. Media representations matter, but they must tell the truth about origins of Black and Brown stories. Ballroom culture was not a trend created by pop culture; it was a movement born from marginalized people creating beauty, family, and power in the face of exclusion!”
Asked what resources they recommended for those who want to learn more about ball culture, Jahnell suggested Pose as well as the documentaries Paris is Burning and Kiki. She also encouraged following local ballroom leaders, houses, and organizations on social media. (Her own house has formed a charitable foundation, Chanel Cares.) Breonna also recommended watching Paris is Burning, as well as exploring YouTube for footage and clips of featured segments on ballroom from shows like The Joan Rivers Show and The Sally Jessy Raphael Show.
As we close out Black History Month during a time when Black and trans folks are under relentless attack in the US, it’s good to acknowledge and celebrate our resilience and capability for joy. Ballroom is an important source of creativity, pride, and belonging for our community.
Pax Ahimsa Gethen (they/them) is a queer Black trans writer and editor. They live in San Francisco with their spouse Ziggy.