Employing Social Work, Public Health and Social Justice Frameworks to Empower Black LGBTQ+ Youth in the House-Ballroom Community

This workshop will focus on the diverse lived experiences of Black men and women as long-term members and leaders of the underground LGBTQIA+ House-Ballroom community, also known as the Ballroom Scene. The House-Ballroom Community and Ballroom Culture is primarily a Black and Latinx underground LGBTQIA+ subculture that originated in New York City in the 1920s where members of this community travel nationally and internationally to compete for cash prizes, social status, and trophies at events known as Balls. Members of the House-Ballroom Community often identify chosen family systems or nonbiological kinship bonds, known as Houses, as a form of community-based support and intergenerational kinship care, which is considered one of this community's foundational pillars. Over the past 100 years, the House-Ballroom Community has created greater access to community health and wellness resources and has provided safe spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals of color to engage socially. The Ballroom Scene has vastly influenced popular culture recently with television shows such as Pose on FX and Legendary on HBO Max. Few personal narratives exist from social work and public health perspectives on how long-term Ballroom leaders, known as House Mothers and Fathers, have employed anti-discriminatory, anti-oppressive, and anti-racist approaches to further empower LGBTQIA+ youth of color as members of this underrepresented and underserved community. Special topics related to these approaches will be discussed in addition to examining Ballroom's developmental history, its role in society, and how social workers and public health professionals can best support this community as culturally competent Ballroom advocates and social justice allies.