This Is Our House: The Resurgence of New York’s Voguing Balls

The culture of the gay Harlem houses -- the birthplace of “voguing” -- goes back as far as the 19th century. In the beginning, the gatherings that took place there were a matter of survival; by the late 1970s, they were established sanctuaries, providing family -- and safety in numbers -- to homeless street hustlers, pier queens, addicts and other lost souls. The houses took names like LaBeija, Chanel and St. Laurent, imitating the fashion houses they idolized. And they threw elaborate balls -- flamboyant 10-hour affairs, where voguing was pioneered, with the houses competing for prestige (and sometimes cash).

Jose Xtravaganza

Among the most famous and enduring is the House of Xtravaganza, which hosts its massive “Moda” ball this November in New York. Its members take names that are also inherited titles: Hector, Carmen, Jose, Q, Davari. “The original Hector Xtravaganza came up with the house name,” says the current Hector and house grandfather. “It’s very us—extravagant kids in the streets, trying to make it.”