Fantasy Fulfillment: A Discussion of The Queen and Paris is Burning

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We might be done with Pose for now, but we are not quite ready to
leave the ballroom yet!  This week’s episode features a deep
dive into “The Queen,” a 1968 film directed by Frank Simon and
“Paris is Burning,” directed by Jennie Livingston (1990).  


05:40-31:02What we liked this week: Jocelyn attended
her very first ballroom event - the Porcelain Ball - and it was
EVERYTHING!  Kristine celebrated the LONG OVERDUE discussion
of reproductive rights at the Democrats’ primary debate.  In
particular, we loved Julián Castro’s reproductive justice-framed
response.  We salute Castro and the impressive work of his
campaign manager, Maya Rupert.


31:03-48:59As always, there were things that we did
not like.  For starters, stop vandalizing the Emmett Till
Memorial!  Next, we move on to a very important public
announcement:  IF YOU ARE NOT BLACK, THE N-WORD IS NOT FOR
YOU. Kristine wraps up the segment with another repeat offender -
Twitter.  People on the spicy bird somehow managed to
confuse Elijah Cummings and John Lewis.  


49:00 - END:We move on from our personal rants to
one of the greatest rants/reads of all time, courtesy of the
LEGENDARY House Mother Crystal LeBeija in The Queen.  In
addition to LaBeija’s iconic reading skills, The Queen also
highlights compelling explorations into the subjects’ views on
military service and gender confirming surgery. 
  


As many know, LaBeija is much more than a masterful reader. 
She went on to start the system of house-sponsored balls that are
the focus of Paris is Burning. We reflect on the insights from
the film’s subjects, the idea of fantasy fulfillment through
ballroom participation, and how vocabulary from the film has
evolved (or in some respects lost its meaning) over time. 
Grab your favorite beverage and join us! 

Links: 


The Queen is available on YouTube. Check it out!  Paris
is Burning is streaming on Netflix. 

The trailer for Tongues Untied (1989) by Marlon Riggs.  

John Lewis and Elijah Cummings are two ENTIRELY different
people. 

Article about the new bulletproof Emmett Till memorial.
 

Summary of Gina Rodiguez’s foolishness.  

Article on recent wave of pageant victories by Black
contestants.  

Ballroom commentators doing their thing.  

Check out Vogue’s Best for clips from the Porcelain
Ball. 



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