Ballroom culture: World’s 1st Global Black Pride LGBTQ celebrations

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The world’s first in-person Global Black Pride (GBP) events were held in Toronto, exactly one month after Pride and overlapping with the city’s Caribbean Carnival.

Founded in 2020, it is an event that brings together Black 2SLGBTQIA+ communities across all continents. One of these events was the Black Pride Kiki Ball, co-hosted by the City of Toronto with the Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance (TKBA).

In Canada, ballroom culture has exploded in recent years. Founded in 2010 in Toronto by Legendary Twysted Miyake-Mugler and Legendary Vixen, TKBA is a space to nurture the needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ BIPOC youth facing barriers and trauma.

Started in New York during the 1960s, ballroom spaces were created by the queer and trans Black and Latinx community due to discrimination and a need for a safer nightlife. A function that hosts multiple competitive categories, each event typically consists of a DJ, a commentator, a judges panel, ballroom walkers and spectators coming together to celebrate one another and compete.

For the world’s first in-person GBP event, this global event celebrated the unique intersection of these diverse cultures, marking how far the movement has come over the course of 60 years. For those who may be hearing about it for the first time, what exactly is a ball and what does it mean for the community?