Ryan Smith
The Queer community has always found solace within itself and among its peers, therefore queer language was born. This language trickles down from various communities but the one with the biggest impact is the Black Community but more so the Black Queer Community. Queer people have taken these ideas and phrases, and brought them into a different light shared amongst the world.
There are limitless phrases and words that live within these communities that the Hetero community wouldn’t understand or resonate with. These phrases and words are ever changing in addition to evolving with newer generations and influences adding to the mix. As we use these words and phrases, we need to be mindful and be respectful about where they came from. One of the most famous sources for this is the film Paris is Burning. A film documenting the lives of Black and Latin queer individuals living in New York City during the 1980’s. Its primary focus is the “Ball Culture” but also dictates many words and phrases that are used today by so many different people. Nowadays there are many renditions of specific words, nevertheless they all share one quality and that’s they all stemmed from one place of origin.
The “Ball Culture” stemming from the very beginning of the 1920’s was a way for Black and Latino Queer people to showcase talents and “looks” within what they would refer to as their “Houses”. Houses were a family like group of individuals that have found shelter within each other. They would often compete amongst one another in these “Balls” turning looks and striking poses to earn trophies and a name for themselves. New York City was seen as the epicenter of the Ball room scene and still to this day it’s still unmatched. This culture and world caught the attention of many faces who were in the mainstream media at the time of the late 1980’s to early 1990’s. That’s when the world really saw the endless talent of this Queer Community. Arguably the biggest artist at the time was Madonna who really put the spotlight on Ball scene with her hit classic Vogue. The song starts off with the quotes “What are you looking at? Strike a pose, Strike a pose Vogue (vogue, vogue) Vogue (vogue, vogue)”. As familiar as those words are now, the term “Vogueing” simply states: To walk or dance in such a way that you imitate characteristic poses from a model on a catwalk. During her many performances she showed the world what it meant to “Vogue” by showcasing the talents of these artists in her shows who’ve directly come from the Ball Room scene for instance Luis Xtravaganza Camacho and Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza, both from the Legendary House of Xtravaganza.
This can all be seen as a direct relation to the famous essay “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What is? Written by James Baldwin. In the essay he states how “Black English” isn’t shown as a reputable language in terms of white people. Yet people are ever taking words and phrases from the Black Community, yet they put down their trying efforts and make it seem as if their language and words aren’t as valid as the ones used by white people. Baldwin states that white people belittle the Black Community with the language used but by no effort try to understand and respect the chosen language used but instead they look down upon it. To this very day it happens with Black and Queer language. Some saw Madonna as someone who’s white, essentially stole this culture from The Black and Latino Queer community with her hit single Vogue. But with further discussion she paid respects to the ones whose very life she showed the world. We must always remember where these words and phrases originated from and to be used with the upmost respect.
Language isn’t just words thrown together piece by piece, but instead is a beautiful work of art. It has history, culture, pain, and love. It’s all things that make it unique to people from all walks of life. These languages are deep rooted in so many different communities from all over the world and it’s what makes the human experience immeasurable. With each passing day we see these ideas and words develop into something original and innovative. Within the queer community there’s so many diverse groups but the one thing that seems to be unbounded is the language spoken. It’s a rare and beautiful thing to be a part of and should be celebrated in such a way.
Works Cited:
Baldwin, James. “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?”
The New York Times. 29 July 1979,
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/29/specials/baldwin-english.html?,%2522%2520&st=cse
Black lgbtq+ americans have LONG made history, contributing to everything from medicine to politics to art, and I love how your essay centers that. I’m reminded of an Audre Lorde (self-described “black, lesbian, feminist, mother, poet, warrior”) quote: “In our work and in our living, we must recognize that difference is a reason for celebration and growth, rather than a reason for destruction.” I really get the sense that you celebrate diversity, and I really liked how knowledgeable this piece was.
I think the word Vogue was an interesting thing to focus on in this essay, you obviously did a lot of research too! I had no idea where vogueing came from and I appreciate the new incite!
Your essay is fascinating. I did not think of connecting Vogue to a language. I do agree that whites have taken words and phrases from the black community and in your essay, from the Black and Latino queer community who had face many challenges only to be undermined. I really liked how you connected your research to James Baldwin’s work that Blank English is belittled because it is not proper English. Thank you for sharing your essay!
Super detailed. Definitely learned something new today!