The film “Paris is Burning” discusses poverty, being homosexual as an African American, and racism. The show “RuPaul’s Drag Race” frequently mentions this film. It was inaugurated by the famed drag performer Pepper Labeija. Men compete against one another in a game called The Ball. You demonstrate who you are and how you get where you are. For many gays, the Ball is the center of the universe. Also known as ballroom, which some people are familiar with to to blockbuster series like “pose.” It showed both the dazzling enjoyable side of sex industry and the tragic underbelly of sex work.

By shedding light on the experiences of New York City drag queens, Livingston is able to elicit an emotional response from her audience. The documentary made it appear as if drag originated out of a desire to feel attractive and strong, which is the polar opposite of how mainstream culture makes homosexual and trans people feel. The presence of homosexual and trans persons was undesirable to the majority of society, which preferred that the gay and trans communities remain hidden. By copying these famous actresses and supermodels, the drag queens received a taste of the beauty and power that homosexual men were never permitted to enjoy. Drag queens live their fantasies on stage at balls, but those are aspirations they want to achieve in the real world. Thus, to become famous, affluent, and to live freely and joyfully. To be everything and nothing all at once.

This era was always something i loved because it was all about drag queens (which i am one) and club kid icons. It’s just a shame how much hate and ignorance we have to endure…..figured change would’ve happened.

In “Paris is Burning” the film talks about poverty, being gay as an African American and Racism. In 1987 in New York a fashion show took place. It was opened with the legendary drag queen Pepper Labeija. Men have a competition against themselves called The Ball. You show who you are and how you got to where you are. The Ball is the world to many gays.  The Ball is like the Oscar’s to them, many do not have much close to nothing but they would steal anything in order to go to The Ball. 

The Combahee River Collective Statement has been a balck femisits organization since 1974. They combat the oppressions as women of color face a logical political movement. They struggle with racial and sexual opression agsint them. They talk about major topics.  

The genesis of contemporary black feminism are Afro-American women who sturggle and survive in the American system. 

What they believe in the value of black women. The lives of black women have not been valused for centuries. Their policies come from the love for themselves, their community and their sisters. This motivates them and continue to work harder in life. 

The problems they faced organizing the black feminists, is adressing opression. They are not facing oppression for just one side but the whole range of oppression. They don’t have the power or the privilege to get access to resources of groups with privilege. 

The Issues and projects of the black feminist, working people at a factory who have to struggle with race, sex and class. The projects were to attend the issues of aborition, rape, health care and bettered women.

“Paris is Burning” showed no pretense when it came to portraying drag culture in 1980’s New York. It showcased the glamorous fun parts and the sad underbelly of sex work. I found myself wishing I could have experienced life in Manhattan before it transformed into more of a playground for the rich rather than the misunderstood artists and freaks. I don’t want to over-glamorize that era because I know that there was so much pain and suffering that came with it, but there was also an undeniable soul to the city. 

The sense of family and belonging that the queens had with one another was truly heartwarming. Pictured in Enrique’s snapshot is a photo of The Ballroom. I loved the D.I.Y. bare bones feel of The Ballroom. I’d like to think if I was alive back then I would have been hanging out there too. I enjoyed seeing the huge variance in age amongst the community. You had the young lost 13-year-old boys, you had the older seasoned queens who were probably in their 40’s – 50’s, and you had the “children” in between. 

         The documentary made it seem as though drag arose from a place of wanting to feel beautiful and powerful, which is the opposite of what mainstream society made gay and trans people feel. The existence of gay and trans people was unacceptable to the majority of society, who would prefer to see the gay and trans community stay closeted. By emulating these powerful actresses and super models, the drag queens got to taste just a slice of that glamour and power that they were never allowed to feel as gay men. 

         It’s interesting that during some of the interviews, especially the interview with Venus, it becomes clear that although these people were seen as living on the fringe of society, they had pretty normal hopes and desires for the future. Venus wanted to get married in a church and settle down with a man somewhere in Florida or the Poconos. She had traditional desires but was forced into sex work to survive. She was murdered by strangulation. She never got to grow old. She never got to get married in a white dress. 

         The other reading for the week was “The Combahee River Collective Statement”. In this statement by Combahee River Collective, Black feminists address their unique underserved position in society, and the intersection of different forms of oppression that they face. The statement, “For example, we were told in the same breath to be quiet both for the sake of being “ladylike” and to make us less objectionable in the eyes of white people,” expresses a compound oppression specific to the experience of Black women. Black women have borne the brunt of the oppression yet received the least amount of support from white feminist allies and Black men. “The Combahee River Collective Statement” is a banding together of Black women in order to address the unique issues that Black women face in social justice movements, including forms of oppression within the movements themselves. 

I really enjoyed reading the Combahee River Collective Statement. The organization was created because the needs and overall best interests of black and lesbian women were not being considered by other feminist movements or even by the civil rights movement. The name itself was created based on efforts by Harriet Tubman on the Combahee River that resulted in the freeing of 750 slaves. I think this was a wonderful way to build the foundation for an organization aimed at freeing people from multiple forms of oppression. That said, it’s really sad to know that these divisions in feminism still exist. 

The reading states “Black feminists and many more Black women who do not define themselves as feminists have all experienced sexual oppression as a constant factor in our day-to-day existence.” I had a conversation with my best friend and she mentioned how terrified she was at the prospect of having children. Specifically, she was afraid of having to empower her daughter to forge her own identity while also explaining how the world would judge her for her nonverbal communicative choices. I can honestly say as a man that I don’t have that same fear when I consider empowering my future son to express himself. And this was one of the reasons The Combahee River Collective was created.

Paris is Burning has always been one of my favorite documentaries. I’ve always wanted to be a part of the ballroom scene and know several people who are. The film offers a glimpse into a much different time in NY when homophobia, transphobia, and the AIDS epidemic were all a struggle for life. I love the house families and the manner in which they supported through the battle against societal oppression. The film was actually made over the course of seven years and I’ve always found it really interesting to see the development of some of the cast members. That said, it’s also really sad to see that not everyone survived the duration in which film took to be made. 

When Venus Xtravaganza was found murdered, it hit really hard. But this makes me think about the duality of the trans-community in that non-white transgendered individuals have a different experience to that of their white counterparts. Ironically enough, this is essentially the message Dave Chappelle attempted to communicate in his recent stand-up. A system of oppression that exists within another system of oppression hard at work. I think this is why it was touching to see how the house families really came together to take care of their own. My classmate posted a snapshot of the ballroom scene as it is now and you can still see how close the house members were as they support their housemate’s walk. You can also see this evidenced in Isabella’s post from the fictional depiction of the ballroom scene from Pose. When the world was against them, the ballroom family was essentially all they had left. This is still the case today and why ballroom is so important to our culture. 

This week, we were assigned a documentary to watch and a reading. Both of which were very interesting to engage with. Paris is Burning, a documentary by Jennie Livingston looks into the lives of New York City drag queens, providing insight into their community and culture through the lens of a documentary. By interacting with each individual, Livingston gains a further understanding of their personal aspirations and of particular events. Livingston is able to grasp an emotional response from her audience by shining a light on the perspectives of New York City drag queens. By including interviews with the members in the documentary, Livingston allows her audience to engage with different viewpoints, to stand in the shoes of those who struggled under oppression. In this personal series of interviews, Livingston inquires about personal values and aspirations. She involves herself in this community and lifestyle so she can keep the relationship between the audience and the person being interviewed neutral and comfortable. In present-day society, cultural assumptions often dictate that sexuality and gender are mutually dependent categories and that one is a factor of the other. Societal norms imply that gender is divided into men and women, and that appropriate sexual behavior is thus determined through innate biology. This idea suggests right and wrong ways of being male and female, and furthermore denotes that interaction between the two results in heterosexual attraction. 

This documentary really made me think about another documentary I have been watching recently called “Major!”. In this documentary, it follows transgender and activist Miss Major Griffin-Gracy. Major is an African American male who later in her life came out as transgender. Throughout her life, she has faced countless acts of discrimination and abuse. She never had a lot of friends due to the reason that her thoughts are different compared to her peers. She liked things girls tend to like and also found it fun to cross dress. She quickly found out that that was not accepted by society. When should would be home alone, she would dress in her mom’s clothes and walk around the house. She would get a little gutsier each time. The next time she would walk downstairs and walk around the living room for a minute and then run back upstairs. Later on, she would walk to the garage and open the garage door and walk around and run back inside. This was where she found her pleasure and comfort. This all came crashing down, however, when one of their neighbors saw this and reported her actions to her parents. Her parents were obliviously furious. They gave her an ultimatum stating that if she could not become “normal,” she will be sent away from home once she is 18. Sure enough, when she was 18, she was sent away from home. It was, and still is, hard for a transgender person to land a job, therefore, she turned to dodgy professions such as stripper dancing, prostitution, etc. Later on, she was sent to jail because the police caught her in an act of prostitution and she was raped and abused in jail since she had already begun her hormonal gender reassignment treatment and had already developed breasts. Once she was release from prison, she has since dedicated her life to helping people of the trans community obtain a better life and fight for their rights. She has also started to fight to rights of inmates and reformation of of the correctional institutions in the US as she has seen countless acts of abuse and violence that would not fly in society.

  This week’s content was very emotional and charged with strong realities. Paris is Burning is a documentary following the lives of various transgender women  and gay men. The documentary talks about ball culture in the 80s. Balls were big events with men in drag and trans women performing in various categories. They dressed up and modeled and did theatrical performances. Some described it as a “fantasy of being a superstar”. One of the people introduced was Pepper LaBeija. Pepper was one of the people that performed and had great fame within the community.

  These balls held categories for everyone. The trends in the balls also evolved from people wanting to emulate Las Vegas showgirls to movie stars to models. Later in the documentary, a drag queen talked about intersectionality and how it affects the members of the community. They spoke about the executive narrative which is that a black man often can’t make it as an executive and if they do they are straight men. Looking like an executive at the ball was the closest they could get to fulfilling this role of a gay black man as an executive. 

  There was also a quote that stuck out to me. “When you’re gay, you monitor everything you do”. This continues to be an issue because as much as we wish it were not true, people’s perception of an individual can and will affect their place in society and if they can progress. Many of the people in the community also spoke about the perception of their families. Many had faced rejection from their family or left them.

  A key person interviewed was Venus Extravaganza who is a trans woman who expresses her desire to have a sex change. She gives insight into what many of the people from the balls want which is acceptance and appreciation which manifests as fame and wealth. Unfortunately in the end of the documentary we learn she tragically passed away. They also speak about family dynamics which are described as “mutual bond(s)”. A form of family is the houses they divide themselves into. These are sorts of groups with individuals in each that participated in the balls together. Some of the houses were the Xtravaganza house and the Ninja house. 

  The documentary also mentions terminology of the ball such as voguing, shading and reading. Readings are an art form of insults while shading is more subtle. Vogueing is a dance between two people in a competitive fashion. The documentary was very informative and truly gave great insight on this culture. 

  The second content was a collective statement of Black feminists who have been meeting together since 1974. Their work is to push back against “racial, sexual, heterosexual and class oppression” and “major systems of oppression are interlocking”. The women’s origins lie in the will to overcome adversity in order to survive and be liberated as Afro- American. The text writes that black feminism 

born from the reactionary forces working against black women even within feminism, where their work was overlooked.

  In the entry they write that after World War II, black youth could have some form of an education or better job opportunities allowing them to rise a bit in economic status which aids their efforts against oppression.

Their beliefs were that black women have been harmed for ages and the only people willing to defend them against this oppression is themselves. 

They also spoke on intersectionality, citing that sexual politics cannot be separated from the oppression faced based on race and class because we cannot separate those categories of our lives from our person.

  Thirdly the spoke on the problems in organizing black feminists. There is a struggle to organize because the problems being addressed reach great lengths; it’s not just one issue. They say that feminism feels like a threat to black people because it questions some standards that have been put into place.Black men generally have a negative action to feminism because it puts them in an uncomfortable position and in a position where they have to give up some power.

  The work they do varies, they have worked on “sterilization abuse, abortion rights, battered women, rape and health care”. They also began addressing the racism in white feminist movements. The statement ends by restating their vision for change and efforts to do so. 

  Isabella Celentano submitted an interesting photo form Pose, a show that talks about ball culture. I thought that was appropriate because its like a modern day take on the documentary, Paris is Burning. 

Black feminism started when white feminist leaders did not share the voices of black women. After reading (1977) THE COMBAHEE RIVER COLLECTIVE STATEMENT it was clear that the same issue black feminists of the 70s tried to solve is the same issue we face today. Black women are not only oppressed because of the color of their skin but for simply being a woman and for those who are a part of the LGBTQ community they face a triple threat from society. Black women or not only oppressed by the white man but the men of their own community. Some black men do not agree with black women being feminists and prefer to hold on to the oppression they have over black women instead of seeing them as their equals much like the white men. However black women face and must fight against multiple forms of oppression, oppression of race, sex, and sexual identity. Black women from a young age are sexualized in our communities many black women have faced sexual assault by their own relatives.  The article reads, “Issues and projects that collective members have actually worked on are sterilization abuse, abortion rights, battered women, rape and health care. We have also done many workshops and educational on Black feminism on college campuses, at women’s conferences, and most recently for high school women.” Black feminists all over have been dealing with these issues since their teenage years and saw their mother sisters going through the same thing. I think black feminists have contributed more to the world of feminism because they are fighting not only for all women but children and people of color, along with the LGBTQ community. Even today black women of the LGBTIQ community are treated inhumanely look at the rate of black trans women that have been killed over the past 2 years or the black lesbian women how are shamed for just being themselves. Black feminists are fighting against oppression for the girls, the gays, and POC.

Paris is Burning really touched my heart, being a part of the LGBTQ community and knowing people that have had to go through similar situations like the young men in the documentary. It is very sad to know that families disown their children for being true to their identities. On the other hand, it is better to adopt a family that will give you love and is with you through thick and thin rather than being treated like you are lesser than by your blood. This documentary reminded me of the TV series POSE, if you have not seen it, it is about these houses that compete at a ball every week, but it shows the trials and tribulations of a queer person in the 80s. one of the man characters is this young man who wants to be a dancer and he is in the closet because he is afraid his parents will disown him. eventually, his father finds out that he is gay; beats him, and proceeds to say he no longer has a son. It is very sad that their so-called parents stop loving their kids just because they are not who they want them to be. I appreciate Kevin Kimble’s post featuring legendary because it really does show the confidence and strength house families give each other. If you haven’t seen Pose it’s a great show to see what queer people dealt with within the 80s.

Feminist actions were taken in previous times across the globe which became rampant in the states for equality where women are considered befitting to also hold positions in the political realm and have a career in the scene. This fight have now been centered on whites mainly leaving out any Black person whatsoever, women who are black started fighting for a space within this arena within the 1960s. In the phase of fighting for what they wanted, they categorized it into four distinct yet connected times. The first step is the genesis of contemporary Black feminism. In the beginning, white rule was very dominant and to this extent we couldn’t even have males that are black representing themselves let alone having their women participating in politics. Over the years, a gradual change have made it possible for us to eliminate this mindset of white dominance and to see women who are black as fit to also hold portfolios in the government and have their say when it comes to politics. In 1973, National Black Feminist Organization was formed to champion the cause to have black women have equality, equity and breaking the chain of sexual violence anytime they want an office. They then formulated some important policies for themselves that came in handy for them to break the scene and make an impact.

The second aspect have to do with “What we believe”. It’s more of a mental notion that is to make an impact and that is for us to believe in what we need and want. Black feminists believed that they’re worth a lot and under no circumstance are they below the standard that have been set for them. They believed that together they could make an impact one way or the other, they knew it was very much important that they stand firm and together so they could achieve the aim of being the full realized version of their capabilities in politics. After bridging the gap in some aspects like speech where it’s believed that our tongue had in it a language that is profane and insultive and doesn’t qualify us to have a role to play in the public sphere. It’s very much important now that we come to realize that we have a notion that we black women are not worth anything according to the whites which is their reason for keeping us out have now come to strategize and beat that mindset into appearing in the scene. We know we can and as such have started the socialist doctrine which would have to benefit everyone regardless skin color.

The third and fourth phase is the problems in organizing Black feminists, including a brief herstory of our collective; and Black feminist issues and practice. The defeats that came from the phase where the establishment of the black feminists surfaced were many and very much heavy. They had to not only deal with racism of they being black and get assaulted or verbally abused but have to suffer on basis of gender and sexes as well because of patriarchy. This then instilled fear into some people and made them disperse to avoid any form of oppression one way or the other leading to a drastic decrease in their numbers. This was so much problematic because the numbers were needed for everything to in plan and without them, the work would seem useless.

In the final aspect of it, they then achieved a great deal of success later on as they became stronger. After gaining popularity and a little bit of power from the general public, they then shot into addressing the issues of gender inequality and patriarchy and later moved to address racism to the brim. It was thanks to their collective efforts especially in 1974 that have led to a massive impact that bridged that long gap stopping black women becoming who and what they want to be especially in the political arena.