Ballroom Refuses to Burn: Exploitation versus Community Education in Documentaries about Voguing and the Ballroom Community

Voguing and ballroom culture—unique forms of performance art which were incredibly important to the survival and artistic expression of LGBTQ+ Black and Latine communities during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic—have been captured and preserved in numerous documentaries. Building on a survey of the history of LGBTQ+ ballroom events and pageants in the United States, I then define the ballroom community as it is known today, discussing the inception of the community in the mid-twentieth century as a response to the racism faced by Black and Latine performers in the queer pagent competitions of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the community. I then explore the practice of documenting this community, comparing explotive media such as the documentary Paris is Burning (1990), the television show Pose (2018), and music by Malcolm McLaren and Madonna to community-based, ethical media such as Tongues Untied (1989), Black Is…Black Ain’t (1995), and How Do I Look (2006), highlighting the key differences between these portrayals. Ultimately, I argue that community-based media is invaluable, countering the racism and queerphobia found in the more mainstream, exploitive examples with authentic portrayals of the ballroom communsity’s resilience and connectedness.