LGBTQ+ Sociopolitical Engagement: Examining the Role of House-Ball Community Involvement and LGBTQ+ Community Connection

Background and Purpose: Recent events such as the Black Lives Matter movement and mutual aid efforts during COVID-19 have highlighted the power of a socially and politically engaged society. In the context of sexual and gender minorities, research has linked connection to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community with sociopolitical involvement, especially for people of color (POC). Still, LGBTQ+ POC often also face experiences of racial discrimination, calling for LGBTQ+ social movements that attend to unique concerns related to intersectionality. One longstanding cultural pillar of connection and social action for LGBTQ+ POC is the House-Ball Community, an intricate system of informal social support networks originating within Black and Latine/x LGBTQ+ communities. While the House-Ball Community’s strengths have been explored in public health, less is known about its role in facilitating sociopolitical involvement. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine House-Ball Community involvement and LGBTQ+ community connection as predictors of sociopolitical engagement for LGBTQ+ individuals and LGBTQ+ POC.

Methods: This study uses a subsample of secondary data from the Social Justice Sexuality Project (SJS), which collected data using a 105-item original questionnaire. A supplementary 10-item SJS survey was also created to collect data at the 2010 House of Latex Ball in New York City. The sample of the current study consists only of respondents who answered a dichotomized ‘Yes or No’ item measuring ‘House Involvement’ on the supplementary survey (n = 246). Two continuous variables were constructed using items from the SJS original questionnaire: ‘LGBT Community Connection’ (α = .763) and ‘Sociopolitical Engagement’ (α = .856), which asks about LGBT individuals and LGBT POC. Two multivariate regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships between these variables.

Results: Nearly half the sample reported involvement in the House-Ball Community (48%). The majority of participants identified as a person of color (93%), and well over half of participants reported an annual income below $50,000 (67%). The sample ranged in political views, with most reporting at least a slightly liberal perspective (78%). A multivariate logistic regression (F=5.771, p<.001) found that LGBT community connection (b=.555, p<.001) was significantly associated with LGBT sociopolitical involvement. A second multivariate logistic regression (F=3.594, p<.001) found that LGBT community connection (b=.329, p=.006) and House-Ball involvement (b=2.880, p=.004) were significantly associated with LGBT POC sociopolitical involvement. Investigation of standardized coefficients indicated that House-Ball involvement has a stronger impact (β=.211) than LGBT community connection (β=.195) on LGBT POC sociopolitical engagement.

Conclusions and Implications: While LGBT community connection was associated with sociopolitical engagement for LGBTQ+ individuals and LGBTQ+ POC, House-Ball involvement was only associated with sociopolitical engagement specific to LGBTQ+ POC. Relative to community connection, House-Ball involvement was more strongly associated with LGBTQ+ POC sociopolitical engagement, indicating that House-Ball involvement may be more effective in facilitating social action for LGBTQ+ POC. The current study emphasizes the need for community organizers to consider intersectionality in LGBTQ+ social movements. Finally, this study encourages social workers to embrace innovative community partnerships and intervention strategies, such as engagement with the House-Ball Community.