by Dylan Fisher (Intern, Student Affairs Marketing and Communications)

Coming out on the Green Week is in full swing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and an insightful screening of “Paris Is Burning” engaged guests in the history of ballroom culture. The film follows the lives of African-American and Latine queer people living in New York City in the 1980s and their involvement in the underground ballroom culture.

Ballroom culture, drag ball culture, the house-ballroom community, and similar terms describe an underground queer subculture in which people "walk" (i.e., compete), perform, dance, lip-sync, and model in different categories, which are designed to simultaneously epitomize and satirize gender constructs, occupations, and social classes, while also offering an escape from reality.

SafeZone educator and UAB student, Soleil Wallen, spoke about the goals for this screening and its importance, “We hope our guests can learn a bit more about the ballroom scene. What ballroom is, what some of the common categories at balls are, and how ballroom created a close-knit family among queer and trans people of color.”

“Paris Is Burning”, filmed in the mid-to-late 1980s, chronicles the ball culture of New York City and the African-American, Latine, gay, and transgender communities involved in it. Critics consider the film an invaluable documentary of the end of the "Golden Age" of New York City drag balls and a thoughtful exploration of race, class, gender, and sexuality in America.

In 2016, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The title takes its name from the Paris Is Burning ball held annually by artist Paris Dupree, who appears in the film.

After the screening, a discussion led by Soleil further explored the documentary and its themes of race, sexuality, and gender expression.

Coming Out on the Green Week is underway, so check out all upcoming events. On Friday, Oct. 13, the 3rd Annual Drag Ball is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start time in the Hill Student Center Amphitheater. The event will be an evening of glamor, fabulous performances, and celebration. Registration for performers is still available and will be open until the end of the day Wednesday, Oct. 11.

For more information and updates, visit the Student Multicultural & Diversity Programs website or follow them on Instagram. To request accommodations, email smdp@uab.edu.