In recent years, shows like Pose and Legendary have brought Ballroom culture into the public eye like never before — but what do these pop cultural representations leave out? Enter Professor Ricky Tucker’s And The Category Is…, a vitally informative and masterfully crafted account of this often-appropriated queer, Black, and Latinx world. 

Shaped by the author’s deep ties to the community and structured around conversations with living Ballroom legends, each chapter of And The Category Is… unpacks a different core element of Ballroom to paint a nuanced portrait of a subculture where trans lives are celebrated, where queer youth find family, and where community artmaking can serve as a blueprint for liberation.

This month, I had the privilege of sitting down with Ricky for a powerful conversation about Ballroom, appropriation, and queer family. 

Video Interview

Audio-Only Version