A 2023 Lambda Literary Award Finalist in Nonfiction
An Electric Literature “Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Book of 2022” Selection
A love letter to the legendary Black and Latinx LGBTQ underground subculture, uncovering its abundant legacy and influence in popular culture.
What is Ballroom? Not a song, a documentary, a catchphrase, a TV show, or an individual pop star. It is an underground subculture founded over a century ago by LGBTQ African American and Latino men and women of Harlem. Arts-based and intersectional, it transcends identity, acting as a fearless response to the systemic marginalization of minority populations.
Ricky Tucker pulls from his years as a close friend of the community to reveal the complex cultural makeup and ongoing relevance of house and Ballroom, a space where trans lives are respected and applauded, and queer youth are able to find family and acceptance. With each chapter framed as a “category” (Vogue, Realness, Body, et al.), And the Category Is . . . offers an impressionistic point of entry into this subculture, its deeply integrated history, and how it’s been appropriated for mainstream audiences. Each category features an exclusive interview with fierce LGBTQ/POC Ballroom members—Lee Soulja, Benjamin Ninja, Twiggy Pucci Garçon, and more—whose lives, work, and activism drive home that very category.
At the height of public intrigue and awareness about Ballroom, thanks to TV shows like FX’s Pose, Tucker’s compelling narratives help us understand its relevance in pop culture, dance, public policy with regard to queer communities, and so much more. Welcome to the norm-defying realness of Ballroom.
“‘Tens! Tens across the board’ for Ricky Tucker’s fascinating deep dive into New York City’s century-old ballroom culture.”
—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review
“Extended, analytical interviews with influential dancers and activists including Lee Soulja shed valuable light on the history and meaning of ballroom . . . Readers familiar with the ballroom scene will cherish this earnest and enthusiastic survey.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Ricky Tucker has crafted a masterpiece that reinforces the importance of ballroom.”
—Bitch Media
“Aficionados of Ballroom will devour every page of this personal memoir-mixed-with-cultural-history. They’ll love author Ricky Tucker’s breathlessly told tale of finding Ballroom, and himself in it.”
—Terri Schlichenmeyer, Washington Blade
“Ricky Tucker explores how Ballroom’s language, fashion, and family structure have permeated pop culture for decades. He takes us beyond the watered-down, sanitized version we see in corporate ad campaigns and on TV shows to give us the history, the Black, queer, often marginalized origins of our culture . . . The definitive book on Ballroom’s legacy.”
—Bevy Smith, media personality and author of Bevelations: Lessons from a Mutha, Auntie, Bestie
“Our histories are worth remembering, and this is an important read for the preservation of our culture and the legacy of those who paved the way. I give this book my tens for capturing the spirit of Ballroom and keeping it grounded with love as the message.”
—Emanuel Xavier, activist, poet, and author of Christ Like
“With its vivid and riveting ‘thick’ description of the social, spiritual, and creative genius of Ballroom culture, Tucker’s book is an essential read for those who want to gain deeper knowledge and appreciation for these Black and Latinx LGBTQ communities.”
—Marlon M. Bailey, author of Butch Queens Up in Pumps: Gender, Performance, and Ballroom Culture in Detroit
“Through prose that pops, dips, and kicks off the page and with an analysis that reads the children for filth who commodify queerness and Blackness, Ricky Tucker’s And the Category Is . . . is snatched for the gods! Tens across the board!”
—E. Patrick Johnson, author of Honeypot: Black Southern Women Who Love Women
“Readers will come away with a sense of the amazing lives, which are led even under considerable constraint, as the ball reveals itself to be a space to make relationships, politics, and freedom in performance.”
—C. Riley Snorton, author of Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity
“A treasure trove of insider perspective—deeply respectful, full of critique and celebration, oral history and personal narrative. A little bit academic, a lot of wisdom, and glamour, yes, of course, and context. This work is, like Ballroom itself, a crucial piece of queer history and contemporary queer culture.”
—Michelle Tea, author of Against Memoir and Black Wave
“A powerful debut that captures the soul of New York’s vogue, house, and Ballroom community while serving as a historical archive of the Black queer and trans narrative in the United States. An instant classic that deftly champions and solidifies vogue, house, and ball culture as radical activism, art, freedom, and refuge for Black trans women and others. Tucker enlightens with sharp critical analysis and a vulnerability that is compelling and full of love. This is a must-read of the utmost urgency.”
—Keisha Bush, author of No Heaven for Good Boys
“And the Category Is . . . is a deep dive into the beauty of Ballroom culture and a chronicle of Ricky Tucker’s life as a queer North Carolina native. It’s that last part that makes this book so wonderful. Tucker’s observations are reverent and always careful. He shows us the many ways in which ball culture is a space of care and healing, of mutual aid and familial bonds. He’s dazzled by the glamor of Ballroom but willing to explore the politics and difficulties that come with creating art in a highly gendered and racialized space. Tucker helps us understand the work that goes into producing balls and protecting ball culture, as well as the performances of race, class, gender, and sexuality that hold the scene together. This is a beautiful celebration of embodiment and an original, timely contribution to the study of one of NYC’s most vibrant queer scenes.”
—Diana Cage, author of the Lambda Award–winning Lesbian Sex Bible
Preface: Equal Parts Sugar and Shade
CHAPTER 1
Werk—w/the Legendary Pony Zion and Benji Hart (Benji Ninja).
Paris Is Burning, America’s Best Dance Crew, Pose, and Madonna and the art of appropriation
CHAPTER 2
Memory—w/Lee Soulja
Hidden figures and the history of having a ball
VOGUE ICON: José Xtravaganza
CHAPTER 3
Vogue—w/Arturo Mugler
Learning to vogue, the five elements, and getting your life
CHAPTER 4
The Children—w/Jonovia Chase, Twiggy Pucci Garçon, Gia Love, Luna Luis Ortiz, Michael Roberson, Robert Sember, and LaLa Zannell
Mothers, fathers, LGBTQ youth, and lost and found families
VOGUE ICON: Leiomy Maldonado
CHAPTER 5
Church—w/MikeQ and Lee Soulja
Clubs and balls as hallowed ground, house music as gospel, and the Theology of Vogue’ology
VOGUE ICON: Kia Labeija
CHAPTER 6
Realness—w/Gia Love
Walking categories, trans lives, and the unexpected prevalence of gender norms within the Ballroom scene
VOGUE ICON: Pony Zion
CHAPTER 7
Body—w/Luna Luis Ortiz, LaLa Zannell, and Gia Love
Black trans bodies, body sponsorship, and resolving the trauma in our bodies
AFTERWORD
My Two Gay Dads—w/Michael Roberson and Robert Sember
The trappings of the not-for-profit industrial complex, 2020 vision, cosmology, astrology, and theology, the future of Ballroom—and giving it up to the Universe
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
- “Which Dad Are You?: Recommended Reading for Father’s Day,” Beacon Broadside, included in Father’s Day reading roundup
- “Clack That Fan for These Pride Month Reads!” Beacon Broadside, included in Pride reading roundup
- “And The Category Is... Inside New York’s Vogue, House, and Ballroom Culture w/ Author Ricky Tucker in Conversation with Icon Ebony Fierce,” Vintage Annals Archive Outsider, podcast interview
- “From Underground Subculture to Global Phenomenon: An Oral History of Ballroom Within Mainstream Culture,” Vogue, book referenced in feature
- “Finding and Leaning into Black Trans Joy: An Interview with Gia Love,” Beacon Broadside, excerpt for Trans Day of Visibility
- “The 15 Best Music Books of 2022,” Pitchfork, included in 2022 music book roundup
- “¡Unidos and Inclusive for a Stronger Nation!: A Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month Reading List, ” Beacon Broadside, blog
- “Selected by NYC literary mavens, here are the best books of fall 2022,” Gothamist, included in roundup
- “Beyoncé and Ball Culture: A Renaissance,” Beacon Broadside, essay
- “Born Free: A Renaissance Reading List,” New York Public Library, featured as the complimentary book for Beyoncé’s “PURE/HONEY”
- “16 Books to Read If You Love Beyoncé’s Renaissance Album,” Fabulize, featured as the complimentary book for Beyoncé’s “COZY”
- ““We Can’t Go on Like Madonna”: A Conversation with Ricky Tucker,” Los Angeles Review of Books, interview
- “April Hopefuls,” Instagram/Lupita Reads, book shared in post
- “WATCH: Ricky Tucker on the Vivid History of Ball Culture,” Literary Hub, Greenlight Bookstore event video
- “And the Category Is,” The Center, “Second Tuesday Presents” event
- “Of bodice-rippers, bedroom antics, and books you’re missing,” Caribbean Life, review by the author
- “10 Queer Books from Indie Presses You Definitely Don’t Want to Miss This Year,” Book Riot, book included in queer reading list
- “Interview with an Indie Press: Beacon Press,” Literary Hub, book mentioned in Q&A with the press
- “Learn about Black history and presence in Lane County and Oregon with these R-G stories,” The Register Guard (Eugene, OR), included in list of staff recommended reads
- “May We Present ... Ricky Tucker’s And the Category Is ... ,” Lambda Literary, Q&A
- “Ricky Tucker, Riggio Honors Program ’14, Celebrates the Legendary LGBTQ African American and Latinx Ballroom Scene in His New Book,” New School News, feature on author
- “And the Category Is . . . ” Residence 11, excerpt
- “Ricky Tucker’s Essential Read on Ballroom Culture,” Bitch Media, Q&A
- “A New Book Looks Inside the World of NYC’ss Ballroom Community,” WNYC’s All Of It with Alison Stewart, interview
- “Pose, Queerness, and Ballroom Culture with Ricky Tucker,” The Manwhore Podcast, interview
- “How Paris is Burning Left an Indelible Mark on Pop Culture,” Literary Hub, excerpt
- “January 2022 Reads for the Rest of Us,” Ms. Magazine, included in January “Reads for the Rest of Us” list
- “The Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books of 2022,” Electric Literature, listed in 2022 reading roundup
- “Ricky Tucker with Justin Sherwood,” Brooklyn Rail, Q&A
- “Six books not to miss this fall,” Washington Blade, featured in Fall 2021 reading roundup
- “Buzz Books Fall/Winter Preview: Nonfiction Part 2,” Publishers Marketplace, book included in Buzz Books Fall/Winter nonfiction preview