Meet Ricky Tucker

Inside New York’s Vogue, House, and Ballroom Community

"Beyond a celebration of the ballroom scene, so much of this book is rooted in paying respects to the ancestors who came before us. It’s also a closer look into the subculture created in New York City by Black and Latinx queer communities that can provide freedom and liberation to those who often navigate marginalization, oppression, and violence." - Dr. Jon Paul, "Ricky Tucker's Essential Read on Ballroom Culture," Bitch Magazine, January 31, 2022

An Electric Literature “Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Book of 2022” Selection

What is Ballroom? Not a song, a documentary, a catchphrase, a TV show, or an individual pop star. It is an underground subculture founded over a century ago by LGBTQ African American and Latino men and women of Harlem. Arts-based and intersectional, it transcends identity, acting as a fearless response to the systemic marginalization of minority populations.

Ricky Tucker pulls from his years as a close friend of the community to reveal the complex cultural makeup and ongoing relevance of house and Ballroom, a space where trans lives are respected and applauded, and queer youth are able to find family and acceptance. With each chapter framed as a “category” (Vogue, Realness, Body, et al.), And the Category Is . . . offers an impressionistic point of entry into this subculture, its deeply integrated history, and how it’s been appropriated for mainstream audiences. Each category features an exclusive interview with fierce LGBTQ/POC Ballroom members—Lee Soulja, Benjamin Ninja, Twiggy Pucci Garçon, and more—whose lives, work, and activism drive home that very category.

At the height of public intrigue and awareness about Ballroom, thanks to TV shows like FX’s Pose, Tucker’s compelling narratives help us understand its relevance in pop culture, dance, public policy with regard to queer communities, and so much more. Welcome to the norm-defying realness of Ballroom.