And the Category Is.

Inside New York's Vogue, House, and Ballroom Community

Look inside
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.
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
Ricky Tucker is a writer, an educator, and a culture critic based in NYC. His work explores the imprints of art and memory on narrative, and the absurdity of most fleeting moments. He has written for the Paris Review, Tenth Magazine, Literary Hub, and Public Seminar, among others, and has performed for reading series including the Moth Grand SLAM, Sister Spit, Born: Free, and Spark London. His LA Times best-selling debut, And the Category Is . . . : Inside New York’s Vogue, House, and Ballroom Community, was chosen by Pitchfork as one of its 15 Best Music Books of 2022, and is now a finalist for the 2023 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Nonfiction. Connect with him at thewriterrickytucker.com.

About

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.

Table of Contents

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

Author

Ricky Tucker is a writer, an educator, and a culture critic based in NYC. His work explores the imprints of art and memory on narrative, and the absurdity of most fleeting moments. He has written for the Paris Review, Tenth Magazine, Literary Hub, and Public Seminar, among others, and has performed for reading series including the Moth Grand SLAM, Sister Spit, Born: Free, and Spark London. His LA Times best-selling debut, And the Category Is . . . : Inside New York’s Vogue, House, and Ballroom Community, was chosen by Pitchfork as one of its 15 Best Music Books of 2022, and is now a finalist for the 2023 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Nonfiction. Connect with him at thewriterrickytucker.com.

National Depression Education and Awareness Month

For National Depression Education and Awareness Month in October, we are sharing a collection of titles that educates and informs on depression, including personal stories from those who have experienced depression and topics that range from causes and symptoms of depression to how to develop coping mechanisms to battle depression.

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ History Month

For LGBTQIA+ History Month in October, we’re celebrating the shared history of individuals within the community and the importance of the activists who have fought for their rights and the rights of others. We acknowledge the varying and diverse experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community that have shaped history and have led the way for those

Read more

Books for Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month

Penguin Random House Education is proud to celebrate Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs annually from September 15th through October 15th.  We are highlighting the works of our authors and illustrators from the Latinx and Hispanic community, whose stories and characters have a profound impact on our society. Here is a collection of titles

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ History Month

For LGBTQIA+ History Month we’re celebrating the shared history of individuals within the community and the importance of the activists who have fought for their rights and the rights of others. We acknowledge the varying and diverse experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community that have shaped history and have led the way for those celebrating their

Read more