![gay sex party in harlem gay sex party in harlem](http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/TRAVEL/08/26/las.vegas.gay/t1larg.las.vegas.gay.irpt.jpg)
The balls did not attract just queer patrons, though straight artists, writers, and ball appreciators outside the LGBTQ community frequented these spectacles for their renowned reputation. What were once known as Masquerade and Civic Balls were dubbed "Faggots Balls" by the general public after it became well known that these spectacles were frequented by gay, lesbian, and transgender people. The committee later released 130 reports describing its visits, demanding that such perversion must desist.īy the 1920s, the balls had gained more public visibility. The report described a scene filled with "phenomenal" "male perverts" in expensive frocks and wigs, looking like women. In 1916, the committee released a report detailing the scandalous behavior they witnessed. A moral reform organization known as the Committee of Fourteen periodically investigated the balls. Despite their growing popularity, drag balls were deemed illegal and immoral by mainstream society. As the secret of the balls spread within the gay community, they became a safe place for gay men to congregate. In 1869, within Harlem's Hamilton Lodge, drag balls began. While watching a screening of Paris is Burning hosted by the Smithsonian Latino Center, I was entranced by the dazzling participants as they competed, fiercely owning the floor in their glamorous gowns. Twenty-five years ago, this famous cult documentary captured the lives and culture of African American, Latino, gay, and transgender communities involved in New York City drag balls. The film captured a slice of the 1980s unknown to many, with roots in a fascinating culture.