Gender identity, sexual orientation, gender pronouns; sometimes specific indicators are limiting to one’s identity. On episode five of #KikisWithLouie, Brendan Jordan explains how checking boxes are for the birds, and that establishing her own genderfluid lifestyle made her that much more fabulous.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, HUH? 🤷🏽‍♂️

here is our reflection for this week’s “pose”:

in this season’s premiere episode, blanca says, “madonna is shining a bright spotlight on us.” there is sense of hope that the guaranteed success madonna will eventually have with her ballroom inspired single “vogue” will trickle down to those in the ballroom seen. of course, we know now that didn’t happen - at least not on a massive level. but the hope that blanca has expressed throughout this season is understandable.

in july of 1989, malcolm mclaren, former member of the punk band, the sex pistols, topped the US dance charts with the willi ninja featured song, “deep in vogue.” this was an entire 9 months before madonna’s vogue. it should also be noted that after madonna’s “vogue” became a cultural moment in the summer of 1990, the iconic documentary, “paris is burning” was just months away from being screened at film festivals. so blanca’s excitement about the possibility of mainstream visibility is not without cause.

in this week’s episode, titled “what would candy do?”, put in the middle of bianca’s excitement via the glimpse of witnessing damon and ricky vie for an chance to dance for madonna as part of her blonde ambition tour. the episode was the orientation of hope we needed after last week’s heart-punching episode.

damon and ricky, who up until this pointy have been limited to the backstory, are given a much deserved spotlight by centering black joy and the communities that invest into their dreams.

this episode didn’t necessarily move this season’s main story arc and that’s ok. it did, however, remind us how cultural moments like madonna’s “vogue” impacted the ballroom community.

sadly or maybe thankfully, ballroom culture remained relatively underground after the global frenzy of “vogue.” the light did that continue to shine in the ballroom community were those of the houses who remained intact after being the obsession of mainstream media for a summer.

“I’m your mother,” she said. It was a promise and defiant declaration to her kids that they would feel orphaned in a world where AIDS, violence, poverty, and homophobia would surely attempt to steal their magic. It was the early 1980’s, pre-gentrified New York, years before “transgender” and “gender non-conforming” were part of our everyday vocabulary. Back when the binary lied and told us that we were either gay or a drag queen. But Angie, was a goddess. She was a mother.

Raised in the Bronx, Angie Xtravaganza, at age 13, walked away from a violent home and directly into the vision of herself. Some say that we seek justice in the same places where it was carved out from us. This is how Angie lived her life - building an empire on top of ruins. 

Angie Xtravaganza, was a founding member of the Legendary House of Xtravaganza. Her fierce leadership is credited for the swift rise of Latinxs in the ballroom in the early 1980’s. The House garnered mainstream recognition when Angie was featured in the 1990 documentary film “Paris Is Burning.” 

As a young teen, I remember hearing other young Latino gay boys talk about the House of Xtravaganza. “Loca, if I was in that house, these faggots would not be able to take me.” Of course, there were also the ones who would outright say, “I was just voted into the House.” I knew that they were just speaking dreams but it was clear that the New York-based House had connected with the Latinx gay boys in North Philadelphia. Everyone wanted Angie to be their mother.

When founding Father Hector Xtravaganza died from complications of AIDS in 1985, it was Angie’s love and her “I’m your mother” approach to healing that kept the House of Xtravaganza on course to become legendary. When her daughter Venus Xtravaganza was found murdered in 1988 at the age of 23, it was Angie’s ruthless commitment to her vision of family that kept the House together in a world that would have taken pleasure in watching them fall apart. She was a fighter. She herself would say, “Don’t let the dress fool you!” She was a warrior mother who loved her kids through every battle.

In 1991, when Angie was diagnosed with HIV, over 100,000 Americans had already succumbed to the epidemic. Those who survived were often reminded of the odds against them. Mother Angie had lived a life of battling against every odd – HIV would be no exception. Her will to be a mother was just simply stronger.

Iconic Mother Angie Xtravaganza died on March 31,1993 at the tender age of 28. Her loss was felt throughout the ballroom community. Three weeks after her death, the New York Times printed a picture of Angie with the headline, “Paris has Burned” in the Style Section.

In the 1993 article “Slap of Love” penned by Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Cunningham, Frank Xtravaganza shared that Angie, weeks before her death, took him out to dance his heartbreak away at Sound Factory Bar. “A drag mother will not only buck you up when you’re feeling rejected. Unlike most other mothers, a drag mother will spray her wig and take you out herself.”

Twenty-five years after her death, Angie Xtravaganza’s indomitable spirit remains a fundamental part of the House of Xtravaganza and a vital part of our collective Latinx queer history. So for Womxn’s History Month, we celebrate the memory and movement of Miss Angie Xtravaganza. 

We echo the powerful words of Karl Xtravaganza, “In many ways, the continuing existence of the House of Xtravaganza twenty-two years after Angie’s passing is a living tribute to her vision and strength of character. She is the bravest woman I’ve ever known.”

Angie performing in 1991 at the Limelight in New York City

special thanks for Karl Xtravaganza for his support during the writing of this piece. 

“I’m your mother,” she said. It was more than a declaration, it was a reminder that her kids would never have to feel orphaned in a world where AIDS, violence, poverty and homophobia would surely steal their magic. It was the early 1980’s, pre-gentrified New York, years before “transgender” and “gender non-conforming” were part of our everyday vocabulary.  Back then you were either gay or a drag queen. But Angie, was a goddess. She was a mother.

Raised in the Bronx, Angie Xtravaganza, at age 13, walked away from a violent home and directly into the vision of herself. Some say that we seek justice in the same places where it was carved out from us. This is how Angie lived her life. After surviving family violence, she created her own. “I’m your mother.”

Angie Xtravaganza, was a founding member of the Legendary House of Xtravaganza. Her fierce leadership is credited for the swift rise of Latinos in the ballroom in the early 80’s. By the early 90’s, the House garnered mainstream recognition when Angie was featured in the 1990 documentary film “Paris Is Burning.” As a young teen, I remember hearing other young Latino gay boys talk about the House of Xtravaganza. “Loca, if I was in that house, these faggots would not be able to take me.” Of course there were the ones who would outright say, “I was just voted into the house.” I knew that it wasn’t true but it was clear that the New York based House had connected with the Latino LGBT community in Philadelphia. Everyone wanted Angie to be their mother.

When founding Father Hector Xtravaganza died from complications of AIDS in 1985, it was Angie’s love and her “I’m your mother” approach to healing that kept the House of Xtravaganza on course to become legendary. When her daughter Venus Xtravaganza was found murdered in 1988 at the age of 23, it was Angie’s ruthless commitment to her vision of family that kept the House together in a world that would have taken pleasure in watching them fall apart. She was a fighter. She herself would say, “Don’t let the dress fool you!” She was a warrior mother who loved her kids through every battle – even the one she would eventually lose.

In 1991, when Angie was tested positive for HIV, over 100,000 Americans had already succumbed to the epidemic. Those who survived were often reminded of the odds against them. Mother Angie had lived a life of battling against every odd – HIV would be no exception. Her will to be a mother was just simply stronger.

In the 1993 article “Slap of Love” penned by Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Cunningham, Frank Xtravaganza shared that Angie, weeks before her death, took him out to dance his heartbreak away at Sound Factory Bar. “A drag mother will not only buck you up when you’re feeling rejected. Unlike most other mothers, a drag mother will spray her wig and take you out herself.”

Iconic Mother Angie Xtravaganza died on March 31, 1993 at the tender age of 28. Her loss was felt through-out the ballroom community. Three weeks after her death, the New York Times printed a large picture of her with the headline, “Paris has Burned” in the Style Section. Writer Jesse Green wrote of Angie in the article: “And as mother of the House of Xtravaganza, Angie had taken many rejected, wayward, even homeless children under her wing; she had fed them, observed their birthdays, taught them all about ‘walking the balls.’ Competing in categories like High-Fashion Eveningwear and Alexis vs. Krystle, Angie was legendary, a Queen among queens, achieving in fantasy what the world had denied her in reality.”

Twenty two years later, Angie Xtravaganza’s indomitable spirit remains a fundamental part of the House and a vital part of our collective history as queer Latinos. So on this Trans Day of Remembrance and Resilience, we celebrate the memory and movement of Miss Angie Xtravaganza. And we echo the powerful words of Karl Xtravaganza, “In many ways, the continuing existence of the House of Xtravaganza twenty two years after Angie’s passing is a living tribute to her vision and strength of character. She is the bravest woman I’ve ever known.”

special thanks for Karl Xtravaganza for his support during the writing of this piece. 

for information or to keep up with the Legendary House of Xtravaganza, like them on Facebook 

1994 classic house music track “X” by Junior Vasquez.  The record was produced a year after Angie’s passing.  If you look closely at the label, it bears the dedication “In memory of Angie Xtravaganza”.  It went on to become one of the defining underground house music tracks of the 90s and is still a dancefloor favorite today.  

The 2014 track “Xtravaganzas” by percussionist, band leader, trans activist and House of Xtravganza member Koko Jones, is a tribute to the history and spirit of the House, with lyrics such as “Mother Angie in the pages of Vogue, they taught Madonna how to strike a pose”.  

COLLECTIVE STATEMENT

Trans and queer people of color have been and continue to be the vanguard of every major movement for social justice. While trans and queer people of color have acted as a moral compass for social movements, their stories and their leadership are pushed to the margins. Moreover, anti-blackness within the LGBTQ+ and immigrant justice movements have led to marginalization and attempted erasure of Black communities. This is especially true for Black migrants broadly and Black LGBTQ+ migrants specifically.

About the Rally & March:

We gathered in New Mexico to uplift and center queer and trans migrants in the movement to #AbolishICE. Roxsana Hernandez, a transgender woman from Honduras, was detained at Cibola County Correctional Center and died while in custody. Currently, Udoka Nweke, a gay Nigerian migrant, is in Adelanto Detention Center, and all he’s seen of the United States is a jail cell. The rampant physical and brutal treatment that queer and trans migrants face behind bars can be fatal, particularly for people living with HIV. Our demands today are clear: End detention, stop deportations, and decry the the anti-Black racism that renders Black lives, including Black migrant lives, disposable.

Demands:

We demand an end to the detention and deportation of trans and queer migrants as well as the criminalization of Black people.

We call on LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights movement to decry anti-Blackness and engage in active solidarity with Black LGBTQ+ migrants by uplifting our presence and leadership.

We demand the release of all trans people currently detained at all immigration detention facilities around the country, including right here at the Cibola County Correctional Facility.

We demand an end to all forms of immigration detention and deportation.

We call for the complete abolishment of ICE and prisons.

#AbolishICE must also mean #AbolishPolice. Our demands reflect our belief that whether it is an immigration prison or a county jail, people are being put in cages and they are dying in them. It is the ugly truth that we must reckon with in order to achieve justice for migrants, particularly Black migrants who are disproportionately targeted by all types of law enforcement.

We demand justice for Roxsana Hernandez and other trans and queer people who have died in ICE custody. We hold all people, companies and agencies responsible for her care and safety responsible for Roxsana’s death and we call for them to be held accountable immediately.

Today, we are thinking about Udoka Nweke, whose mental health is deteriorating and is currently in Adelanto Detention Center. All he has seen of the United States is a jail cell. Black migrants and Black queer and trans migrants face a U.S. legal system steeped in anti-Black racism and their voices need to be heard.

We demand an end to all detention. Queer and trans migrants in detention are inhumanely denied life-saving medical care, including mental health care, transition-related care, and treatment for people living with HIV.

# # #

gran varones turns 5 this year and what better way to begin that celebration by announcing our first fellowship for hiv positive varones creatives.

the positive digital arts fellowship will work with 5 hiv positive latinx and afro-latinx men who identify as gay, queer, trans or bi. the fellowship will provide support and tools on creating digital content that challenges hiv stigma and promotes family acceptance.

for more information or to check out the application

please share with your networks.