Atlanta To Debut Two HIV Prevention Balls

(By: Father Jon Jourdan-Zion)

Atlanta is about to finally expose itself to the world of "Houses" and "Drag Balls" with not one but two upcoming FREE HIV Prevention House Balls!!!

If you haven't heard of the "Ballroom Scene", "House Balls" or Paris Is Burning then you've been living in the dark ages for far too long. But before we can talk about that, it is important to give a brief intro to the ballroom scene.

BALLROOM 101
Back in the `70s the streets of Harlem bursted into flames by the evolution of the then Drag Pageants into what is known in modern day society as "Balls" (also known as House Balls, Drag Balls, Ballroom Scene). This underground subculture founded mainly by New York Blacks and Latinos gay kids and drag queens from various houses (think fraternities or sororities) to compete at a "ball" for prizes, which can range from trophies to cash. The ballroom scene is a place where lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people of color can go and not be judged for their sexuality or alternative gender. Throughout the years they have opened up to include all orientations (YES Heteros do walk balls as well, but not with the same flair that the homos do, lol).

Back in the day, these surrogate family constructs were created to deal with the reality that many people in the scene were being rejected by their families, and often-times by their communities. Many found refuge in these alternative families which also provided a space for them to explore and shape sexual and gender orientations. However, is important to point out that not everyone in the ballroom community is a product of rejection especially since homosexuality has arguably become more tolerant throughout the years.

Understanding the makeup of a “house” can be confusing. While they loosely follow the models of fraternities and sororities, they have a heavy influence of heteronormative family constructs. Each House has a Mother and Father (neither being gender-specific) and Children. Each house has itz own flair, credo, and mode of operandi. The House Name is adopted by each member of the house…thereby each member of the House of Xtravaganza would be named Such and Such Xtravaganza.


ATLANTA’s TURN AT BAT

New York saw early that there was a great need to bring HIV Awareness to the ballroom scene, thereby forming the House of Latex, founded in 1989 to support the efforts of youth and young adults to stay healthy and prevent the spread of HIV.


New Jersey soon followed with Project: Fire Ball which was the brainchild of People of All Colours Together (PACT) to bring HIV Awareness and Prevention strategies to The Greater Newark “Houses". This project was the first to successfully bring together a coalition of houses for a common cause greater than the pageantry of the balls.


Throughout the years almost every large urban city has adopted some form of the ballroom scene and often time have held “community service” balls either on a yearly bases or in conjunction with special health conferences.


Now Atlanta, which debatably has the largest ballroom population, second only to the originating New York scene, will be taking its turn at focusing HIV prevention methods to the ballroom scene. Although the ballroom scene has existing neatly tucked beneath the underground club scene, two of Georgia prominent HIV powerhouse organizations, NAESM and AID Atlanta, will seek to expose the ballroom community to mainstream social service community.


On Sunday, November 11, 2007, the National AIDS Education And Services for Minorities (NAESM) will sponsor Da C.R.I.B.B.'s Kombat Ball. Da C.R.I.B.B., a drop-in "safe space" and educational resource center for young gay and bisexual men of color, will invite participants to not only but to incorporate HIV Prevention messages within many of their categories. The Kombat Ball will be held at the TRAXX Niteclub (1287 Columbia Drive Decatur, GA 30332) from 3pm – 12Midnight.


Shortly after on Sunday, December 2, 2007 AID Atlanta’s Evolution Project, whose mission is similar to Da C.R.I.B.B., will feature The Final Fantasy Ball at the Georgia World Congress Center from 4pm – 12Midnight. This event will serve two purposes. The first is to utilize a creative modem that provides prevention education in a fun, culturally appropriate way. The second is to celebrate members of Atlanta community who are role models and leaders in community mobilization and HIV/STD Prevention. It is being held on the weekend of World AIDS Day when Atlanta will be home to the HIV Prevention Conference hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and The 2007 Prevention Justice Mobilization.


Both The Kombat Ball and the Final Fantasy Ball are FREE of Charge. They both will be filled with fun. Excitement, Creativity, Fierce Competition. Arrive early because seating will be limited and Standing Room Capacity will definitely be a sure thing.