Striking a pose has been replaced by dislocating parts of the body into inhuman acts of defiance. Balls and mini-balls are staged anyplace from a YWCA to major clubs and feature anywhere from 5 to 35 divisions. Traditionally held only on Sunday's, balls now take place on any day of the week. Contestants can walk away with anything from plaster statuettes to gold-encrusted trophies to large sums of money for Grand Prize. Trophies are handed out at these balls in various voguing, runway and realness categories.
Realness is a street-wise urban survival technique used by most gay, lesbian and transgender youth.
The femme queens that attend most balls are far from the typical Jerry Springer guest. Attending any ball can become a Crying Game of sorts as you try to figure out who's got what between their legs. The ball scene harnesses the style, flavors and influences that multilingual and racial diversity offers to all people. Like any repressed community, Houses have been plagued with poverty, drugs, prostitution and crime. AIDS has claimed the lives of many House legends and taken its toll on the scene, prompting the Gay Men's Health Crisis to establish the House of Latex.