Black and brown transgender and non-conforming people face particular challenges within LGBTQ+ spaces and society at large. One of their responses is joy and liberation through a self-sustaining social network in ballroom culture. You may have seen it in popular TV shows like Pose, Legendary, and RuPaul’s Drag Race, but it's closer than you think, and the culture is thriving. Mother Teyana is the Mother or leader of The House of St Laurent, an icon that’s lasted decades in ballroom culture. Teyana said, "I grew up in a biblical Christian household. I wasn't privy to knowing anything about the trans experience. I barely knew what it meant to be gay." Flosse, an artist and member of The Iconic House of St. Laurent, shares the excitement saying, “Ballroom has created this space where we can put all that stuff to the side and be with like-minded people who want to have fun and who like to be extra.” In these highly intricate, choreographed balls, contestants show off their look, poise, skill, and whatever makes them unique in front of adoring fans. From the very beginning, balls have incorporated pageantry, fashion, and dance. This ballroom culture and its balls have a freedom of expression that means family, living, loving, and dancing - Or voguing - through it all as they leave it all on the ballroom floor. #Queer Up Gay Culture