Legends of Vogue: What Is It?
When I was a little kid growing up on Chicago’s Northside, Madonna’s “Vogue” was on repeat on every family roadtrip we took (and we took a lot of family roadtrips). The song was on her compilation album, The Immaculate Collection.
In the early 90s, having a tape cassette or CD you could play from start to finish was crucial on those long hauls. We didn’t have Spotify, Apple Music, or Tidal in those days. Back then, you had to fast-forward the cassette tape or skip tracks on the CD, which was cumbersome and sometimes might ruin the tape or the CD if done too frequently. With Madonna, however, she made it easy for my family. On this compilation album, every track was a banger with fun and joyful melodies, rhythmic beats, and catchy choruses. We loved dance music and anything that had a good beat.
The Immaculate Collection was in our tape cassette and later CD collection alongside Michael Jackson’s History and Thriller, Janet Jackson’s Design of a Decade and Rhythm Nation, as well as Prince’s Purple Rain and the soundtrack from The Bodyguard featuring Whitney Houston’s genius. I was born in 1989, one year before The Immaculate Collection was released. From the time I could walk, I was learning to vogue with Madonna and knew the song by heart.
Whenever I meet people and tell them about the research and work I do on ballroom culture, the LGBTQ+ Black and Latino community in New York City that created “voguing,” they often get lost. But, whenever I mention the song, “Vogue,” they immediately know exactly what I’m talking about.
Voguing in the mainstream
Most people don’t know how much culture, history, and knowledge is packed into just this one song. And to be fair, how could they? Ballroom culture and history has only recently trickled into the mainstream through TV shows like Pose (FX), RuPaul’s DragRace (Paramount+) and Legendary (HBOMax), a gameshow I co-executive produced.
The proliferation of voguing videos on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube helps as does its incorporation in pop music like Beyonce’s Renaissance album and tour as well as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Even then, ballroom culture has remained quite niche as a hallmark of the LGTBQ+ community more broadly. You would have to be in the know to really “know” what’s up.
Reaching new communities
It’s crazy to think that it’s been 35 years since the song, “Vogue” hit the mainstream and changed pop culture forever. Thirty-five years later, we’re still talking about it. Madonna gets some flack from critics in the community and outside of it for being too mainstream to be part of such a cool, niche culture. But, for people like me and for millions of others in the world, Madonna was their entry point. In 1990 HIV and AIDS was ravaging the LGBTQ+ community and people were silenced by shame and stigma created by a willfully ignorant society. The media and politicians left vulnerable communities to die without dignity or hope. As a mega popstar over her stature it was remarkable that she unapologetically celebrated the community and its freedom of gender expression and sexuality when LGBTQ+ people were being demonized everywhere.
For me as a 13-year veteran of ballroom culture, a historian and archivist of the ballroom community that produced the magical moment that produced “Vogue,” I’m excited to share what I know about this culture and history. I never directly experienced the horror of this time period as a queer transgender man. However, I have felt the impacts of its legacy through my engagement with my LGBTQ+ and ballroom community. My intent in this series is to speak to folks who are both devoted fans of ballroom, voguing, and LGBTQ+ culture at large as well as those who are new to these topics. This culture isn’t just for a select few. Like music, clean air, dignity, justice and respect this work is meant for everyone. That's why I decided to start with this popular song that so many know and and have grooved to at weddings, bar mitzvahs, baseball games, club nights and beyond. I’m using “Vogue” as a launching ground to begin this discussion. It’s part of why I decided to call this series, “Legends of Vogue.”
What to expect with Legends of Vogue
Through a series of weekly stories pulled from oral histories I have collected, articles, books and periodicals I have gathered over the past 9 years, archives I have inherited, folklore in the community and my own personal story, I will tell the legends or stories of ballroom culture and history.
I will write at least one post per week that tells the fascinating story of how ballroom culture came to be. I’m excited to highlight the legends or prominent figures of the community, so you can get to know and love them as much as I do. My intent is to educate and to share my perspective as an insider to the culture and give you the real, raw, and unfiltered look at this underground world that made it to the mainstream and continues to influence pop culture the world over.
Supporting the work
As a Black transgender male writer in dark times, I need support to continue to share this work. It’s why I launched a GoFundMe with a $25K goal by October 6, 2025 to help me offset costs for starting this project. If you enjoy this work and want to support great journalism about a community that has contributed to the world, please donate and share my work with others.
I’m excited to share my culture with you. I hope you’re ready too! If so, heed the words of the great Bette Davis, “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night!”
