When Paris was Burning, Queer Communities were Forming

“If everyone went to balls and did less drugs, the world would be fun, wouldn’t it?” -Dorian Corey

“Some of them say that we’re sick, we’re crazy. And some of them think that we are the most gorgeous, special things on Earth.” -Venus Xtravaganza

A seminal work in the history of NYC’s queer and trans histories, the documentary Paris is Burning, released March 13, 1991, brought the story of the 1980s underground ballroom scene to new audiences. Members of the ballroom scene of the time were primarily young, queer people of color, who organized themselves into “families” or “houses” and competed in balls. These balls featured a plethora of categories such as “realness,” “high fashion,” and “voguing,” offering participants the chance to showcase their talent, style, beauty, and stage presence. 

Throughout Paris is Burning, viewers are introduced to a cast of characters that includes drag queen Dorian Corey, voguing innovator/choreographer Willi Ninja, and trans woman/ballroom participant Venus Xtravaganza. In a series of interviews set in Greenwich Village and Harlem, the subjects of the film tell their individual and collective stories of struggle, celebration, identity, passion, and above all, highlight the importance of their queer community. 

Paris Is Burning received rave reviews upon its release, winning prizes at Sundance, the Berlin International Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival. It introduced largely-white audiences, both gay and straight, to cultural phenomena including voguing, shade, and reading — terms now used widely today both in and outside of the LGBTQ+ community.

The film’s director, Jennie Livingston, first encountered the 80’s ballroom scene while walking through Washington Square Park one afternoon. Upon seeing a group of men dancing in the park, she approached and asked to photograph them. Livingston said, “They said yes, and we started talking and I asked them about their poses. They said they were ‘voguing.’” This led to her attending her first ball on 14th Street, bringing a friend along to help film. As a young, queer-identifying person herself, Livingston was enamored with this group of queer people who were expressing themselves so truthfully. She said when speaking to Hyperallergic, “I think the fact that people in the ball world were embodying identification that wasn’t so simple was really transformative and beautiful”.

The “family” or “house” structure explored in Paris Is Burning often served as a replacement for the support systems the subjects of the film had been born into, which had dissipated due to their gender and sexual identities. They sought support and acceptance through ballroom culture, but they also created community at the (then-crumbling) Christopher Street Pier along the Hudson River. Since the 1970s, the piers at the western edge of Greenwich Village have been a magnet for LGBTQ+ youth, many of whom suffered unwelcoming or unsafe homes, limited job prospects, and threats of violence.

In the over three decades since the documentary’s release, its ethics have been debated, as the individuals featured did not receive compensation for their appearances. Critics, including many of the participants themselves, pointed out that, while Livingston was gained (unexpected) fame and fortune following the film, some of its subjects were still stuck in cycles of poverty and violence. Since the filming, many of its subjects have died, from factors including transphobic violence, poverty, and AIDS.

The New York Times article, “Paris Has Burned” outlined many of these critiques, as seen in the following excerpt:

“Paris is no longer burning. It has burned. And not only because of the casualties. No one needs to go to a ball to see drag anymore: Dame Edna Everage has television specials, Ru Paul mugs on the covers of magazines, fashion shows feature drag acts on the runway. No one needs to go to a ball to see voguing either, not since Madonna gobbled it up, appropriating two Xtravaganzas in the process. Once mainstream America began to copy a subculture that was copying it, the subculture itself was no longer of interest to a wider audience, and whatever new opportunities existed for the principals dried up.”

Reflecting its deeply imperfect nature, Paris is Burning holds up as an important part of NYC’s queer history. In the honest, intimate looks into the lives of the documentary’s subjects, newer generations of queer and trans youth have found inspiration, resonance, and lineage.

Learn more about LBGTQ+ history in our neighborhood by exploring our Civil Rights and Social Justice Map.