In the early 1970s, Black and Latino gay, trans and queer people developed a thriving subculture in house balls, where they could express themselves freely and find acceptance within a marginalized community. It was here where the world of drag pageantry, which often favored white contestants, evolved into competitions that spanned a variety of categories, including “vogue” battles. All these events can trace their origins as far back as the late 1800s.
Harlem’s Hamilton Lodge No. 710 hosted regular drag balls during the post-Civil War era. Attendees varied in race, gender and sex—with some women taking part by wearing men’s clothes— but the main attractions were female impersonators who showed off their gowns and bodies to a panel of judges in typical pageant fashion.
As these balls continued for decades, they grew in popularity—and notoriety. By the early 20th century, drag balls were considered illegal and taboo to the outside world. That drove the competitions underground (and also undoubtedly added to their appeal). Spectators for drag balls expanded from “a few courageous spectators” in the 1800s, to thousands by the 1930s, according to a collection of essays about the balls at the New York Public Library.
The growing freedom and expression of Black culture during the Harlem Renaissance also fueled the burgeoning drag ball scene into the 1920s. The era not only allowed African American artists—from painters and authors to dancers and musicians—to experiment with and reinvent their crafts, it also saw popular Black artists experience and explore gender, sex and sexuality like never before.
Although drag balls were interracial at the Hamilton Lodge, prejudices were still at play. Judges generally favored white, Eurocentric features. It wasn’t until 1936—69 years after their first ball, with an attendance of 8,000 spectators—that a Black contestant took home the top prize for the first time. As the balls expanded to other major cities in the early to mid-20th century, racial bias in judging continued.
When a white contestant, Miss Philadelphia Rachel Harlow, took the crown in the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Pagent, Black contestant Crystal LaBeija, representing Manhattan, claimed the judges had discriminated against Black and Latinx contestants and that the pageant was rigged. LaBeija refused to participate in other drag pageants, but she didn’t exit the ballroom scene altogether. In the early 1970s, Harlem drag queen Lottie LaBeija convinced Crystal to promote her own ball. Crystal agreed, and the House of LaBeija—the first ever ballroom “house”—was born, with Crystal at the helm as the “mother.” Continue reading from History
Honoring The History Of Ballroom Culture During And Beyond Pride (Human Rights Campaign)
Know Your Stuff: Ballroom Culture (Van Vogue Jam)
Strike A Pose: Ballroom Culture Since The '70s (NPR)
Paris is Burning is The History Lesson Americans Need (Interview Magazine)
A Brief History of Voguing (Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture)
What is Ballroom Culture? A Short Introduction (Ballroom Throwbacks via Google Arts & Culture)
