The documentary Paris is Burning takes place in America, contrary to its name. Moreover, this 1990s New York City-based documentary elaborates heavily on the experiences of being a minority, specifically Black, gay and male, along with the challenges and disparities they face along with the many accomplishments within their own community. This movie represents history and acts as a historical landmark as being gay was not nearly as accepted as it is now, in the 1990s. Hence, it took a lot of courage and pride for these people to publish and record themselves doing what they love without shame. The drag culture is very fluent throughout the documentary, and it even includes snippets of different shows. Throughout the documentary, it is clear that when the drag performers are performing, they are the freest regardless of their circumstances once they walk off the stage. For instance, after some shows, many of the performers did not know where they would sleep or if they would even eat that night, but while they walked the stage, these struggles disappeared. Being a gay minority and having the ability to be and do anything you want with the support of an entire audience is what many of the performers look forward to, as that is something they lacked in the outside world. The coemption is what draws many of the drag performers back. This era is undoubtedly a significant piece of Black history. It is relevant today as many of the terms frequently used throughout the documentary are popular slang terms used today, including “work” and “slay.” This documentary also subconsciously supports today’s popular topic that is typically referred to as body positivity. In each clip, a drag queen of all different sizes and shades is shown, and they are all celebrated and supported the same. It is imperative to remember that though the overall tone of the documentary is empowering, the climate outside of the venues was unfortunately not as welcoming.

The 1977 Combahee River Collective Statement captures the thoughts of a group of black feminists who exist and study living and operating in systems operated and catered towards the white male. This group states, “Above all else, our politics initially sprang from the shared belief that Black women are inherently valuable, that our liberation is a necessity not as an adjunct to somebody else’s may because of our need as human persons for autonomy.” Black feminism can be described as the belief that Black women are valuable and include the advocacy for equity and the celebration and recognition of Black women. An essential piece of the work these Black feminism advocates complete includes their incorporation of the struggles of others into their work. For example, “Although we are feminists and Lesbians, we feel solidarity with progressive Black men and do not advocate the fractionalization that white women who are separatists demand. Our situation as Black people necessitates that we have solidarity around the fact of race, which white women of course do not need to have with white men, unless it is their negative solidarity as racial oppressors. We struggle together with Black men against racism, while we also struggle with Black men about sexism”. This quote in itself says a lot about the nature of Black women and their overall unacknowledged stance in society.