World AIDS Day is Dec. 1 and in honour of the day, the annual World AIDS Day Ball is returning to Toronto this Saturday, Dec. 2.
Queer & Now had the chance to speak with the founders of FUNCTION, who are putting on the ball, to find out more about the importance of this event and the history of ballroom culture.
FUNCTION is a local organization that hosts ballroom events in the city, including the annual World AIDS Day Ball, which highlights the importance of HIV awareness and care, the rich history of ballroom culture, and the immense BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ talent here in the city.
FUNCTION co-founders Nikolaos Théberge-Dritsas, whose ballroom name is Aura 007, and Legendary Mother Tamar Miyake-Mugler told Queer & Now that ballroom culture originated in the U.S. during the 20th century to meet the needs of Black and Latinx 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
“Born in 1960s New York City, it came out of the drag pageant circuit, where queens of colour were being discriminated against, [facing] racism, so they decided they were going to start their own thing,” Théberge-Dritsas explained.
“It has since grown into a beautiful, beautiful international culture that includes a bunch of different categories,” Théberge-Dritsas continued. “Most people know Vogue and Performance, but there’s Runway, Face, Realness, a bunch of things that resonate with different members of our community.”
Even if you’ve never heard of ballroom, you’ve probably taken in the culture. You know that catchy beat in Beyonce’s “PURE/HONEY”? Very ballroom-esque. A fan of Voguing? You can thank ballroom for that!
Théberge-Dritsas explained that the purpose of the Dec. 2 event is twofold. They are hoping to both raise awareness of HIV and help ensure that the Canadian ballroom scene gets the respect it deserves.
“[We’re] elevating our stages, allowing our folks here to really shine through and show off the work that they put in year-round can culminate to an event like the World AIDS Day [Ball].”
It’s intense, it’s fierce, and it’s more fun than you could imagine. The ball is going down at HISTORY, with the theme of fashion icons, and attendees should prepare to enjoy a night of fierce fashion, competition and community from some of the most talented performers in the genre.
Additionally, in honour of World AIDS Day, the night will feature resources including free HIV self-testing kits to take home, information on medications like PrEP and PIP, safer sex and harm reduction supplies, linkage to care, and more.
Aaliyah-Axelle 007 is a ballroom participant who will be competing in the upcoming event. She told Queer & Now that as a competitive person, ballroom fuels her soul. But these events are also important for the community.
“It brings us closer, with a sense of community that a lot of people aren’t accustomed to or familiar with.”
“Being able to be in these spaces is a blessing and a privilege, to be honest, because there are so many places that we are not invited and we are not welcome. So, the fact that this is a place fully dedicated to us, for us, is fab[ulous],” she explained.
HIV AWARENESS AND EDUCATION
Federal data shows that at the end of 2020, an estimated 62,790 people in Canada were living with HIV.
In addition to her work with FUNCTION, Tamar Miyake-Mugler is also the co-manager of the HIV Education & Harm Reduction Program at Maggie’s Toronto, a sex worker social justice organization in the city.
“In that work… it’s empowering those folks to take back their narrative, destigmatize, and educate ourselves in how to curb the rates of new infections,” she explained.
Tamar says that as a result, advocates are seeing actionable change within the community.
“That kind of work makes everything worth it when you can see the conversation changing and people equipping themselves,” she continued, adding that they educate people about these safer sex practices, including properly using condoms, and certain medications like PrEP, PEP, and PIP.
The FUNCTION co-founders explained that the AIDS epidemic has had a heavy impact on the ballroom community. Théberge-Dritsas shared that while facilitating workshops, icons in the ballroom scene have shared that many of the people they looked up to at the start of their careers have since lost their lives to the epidemic.
“If there were a hundred girls in the 80s, there are like, four of them left. It’s scary,” Tamar said.
“When you look at representation and people you can identify with and their stories, they are dead. So, that’s our truth.”
“It’s about changing that, so that people ten years down the line, 20 years down the line, stand a chance and see people that are grown, successful [and] survived. [So they] can look to the future and see something for themselves,” she added.
She also shared something that she wished more people knew about HIV/AIDS.
“It’s not a death sentence. As long as you get tested and know your status, you will be fine. There are such great advancements in medicine today, different things that we never had before,” Tamar said.
Tickets for the Dec. 2 World AIDS Ball are available here.
