During the week of Nov. 6, Howard University’s C.A.S.C.A.D.E hosted pride fest: a week-long slate of events in celebration of the LGBTQIA community on campus. This joyous and celebratory week culminated with a ball hosted by DMV Kiki Nights in the multipurpose room of College Hall South, the first event of its kind to occur on campus grounds. 

For those who may not be privy, a ball is a competition where people “walk,” dance, model, or perform for several different categories typically judged by ballroom legends. Though a contest often for money and street cred, the ballroom scene has established itself as a subculture and safe space for queer people.

Between the 1960s and the 1980s, New York drag competitions moved into ballrooms where elaborate forms of pageantry took on a new life: Vogue competitions. As part of Ballroom practices, Black voguers compete for trophies and the maintenance of the reputation of their infamous “Houses”--  competitive affiliates that simultaneously act as supportive, adopted families to LGBTQ+ youth. They are typically led by a “House Mother” or “ House Father”, who provides housing and resources for young homeless queer individuals throughout the city. 

DJ Tony Supreme, house father to the KiKi House of Supreme, was the host and emcee of this event. For Tony, this event was about much more than extravagant outfits, death drops, and House music. 

“My kids keep me going, the community keeps me going, but I’m just excited to be here at Howard,” Supreme added. “Y’all might think this wasn’t a big deal like we were just in a little classroom, but this was a huge deal for breaking down the respectability politics gate that keeps my community, and in this case my family, underground.”

The three categories of the evening were Face, Best Dressed, and Realness. From first-time attendees to experienced ballroom performers, all were invited to take the floor for any category. 

Face 

This category was designed to allow participants to sell their faces, almost as if they were models on the set of a photoshoot for a major magazine. The point is to highlight the strongest features of the face, with fluid hand movements and expressions that leave the judges’ panel floored. 

Best Dressed

As the name implies, this category is all about outfits. Participants dawned everything from silks to leathers to corsets that flattered their figures and left the audience with no choice but to exclaim in delight. Best outfit received 10’s across the board.

Realness 

Similar to the face category, Realness is another opportunity for participants to flaunt their appearance. This category typically remains open exclusively to the genderqueer and transgender attendees of any ballroom, who have the unique opportunity to proudly flaunt any gender-affirming procedures they may have had. 

While popular media has worked to commercialize queer culture, making what was underground for so long come to the spotlight of the mainstream public, this ball was run by and for queer people, who have worked tirelessly for opportunities to host their communities in safe, educational environments. 

Events like these are incredibly important, not only for what they do to support local institutions but also for the rich and genuine safe spaces that they provide on our campus.