Femme Queen Energy: Community as Protest and Embodied Transfeminine Resistance in Vogue Ballroom

A week prior to 2021's Alexander Ball, I attended an open training held by the House of Alexander. The House had held public throw-downs intended to introduce newcomers to Vogue Ballroom culture across that year, all of which I walked in, often in multiple categories. They had not yet, at least since I had joined the scene in January of that year, opened a House training to non-members. As such, I jumped at the opportunity to attend. I washed my hair, applied my eyeliner with a seemingly newfound precision. When I arrived, I changed into a pair of cut-off denim shorts, black thigh-high boots, and a cropped long-sleeved shirt so transformed my entire chest became visible at the mere thought of raising my arms above shoulder height. I was there to serve on every front possible.