What is a Ball?

What is a Ball?

A Ball operates in much the same way as one would see in the films Paris Is Burning, How Do I look, and Leave It On The Floor. In these films, we are greeted by scenes that depict the competitive circuit upon and within which men and women both cisgendered (sex at birth matches the gender by which they are perceived by society) and of trans experience (where one transitions from the assigned biological sex into the opposing gender) compete in categories where one is judged based upon their ability to be credible and real. The timing of the event is instructive in that competitors in categories such as Femme Queen Realness (trans women), Butch Queen Realness (pretty gay men), and Trans-Man realness “walk” their categories at the Ball at night, yet their realness is based off of their ability to exist in the day time without being “clocked” or “spooked.” Being clocked or spooked means that they have been identified by the heterosexual world, and sometimes the gay world, as their original birth sex in spite of their particular choice in dress, hair-style, or make-up. In this way the daytime is ever present during a Ball. It is the standard by which your “realness” is judged. As you see in the attached clips contestants in these particular categories perform as living mannequins or models.