Crystal LaBeija

Crystal LaBeija was a Manhattan trans woman of color and drag queen who founded the House of LaBeija in 1977.[1] The House is often credited as starting the house system in ball culture for homeless LGBTQ youth, she became a mother figure giving love, support and relief while also confidence for the ballroom and outside world.[2]

Career

LaBeija originally worked and competed on the Manhattan drag circuit under the name of Crystal LaAsia, before changing her name to LaBeija as Latin queens kept calling her La Belleza (Spanish for "the beauty").[1][3] In the 1960s and 1970s, drag queens of color were expected to whiten their appearance to help their chances at winning competitions and they often faced racist environments.[4] LaBeija was one of only a few African American drag queens to be awarded a "Queen of the Ball" title at a drag ball organized by whites during this era.[5] In 1967, she was crowned Miss Manhattan.[6]

LaBeija subsequently competed in the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Pageant held in New York City Town Hall, a competition documented in The Queen (1968). In a scene towards the end of documentary, LaBeija, upset with the perceived racism of the white-run balls, accused the pageant organizer Flawless Sabrina of rigging the judging in the favor of a white queen, Rachel Harlow.[7] Refusing to participate further in a discriminatory system, LaBeija worked with another Black drag queen, Lottie LaBeija, to host a ball just for Black queens. She agreed to participate in the event so long as she was highlighted in the ball.[5] This event, the first to be hosted by a House, was titled "Crystal & Lottie LaBeija presents the first annual House of Labeija Ball at Up the Downstairs Case on West 115th Street & 5th Avenue in Harlem, NY" and took place in 1972.[8] It was the first time the term "House" was used, coined by LaBeija in order to market the event, which would be a huge success.[9]

LaBeija continued to work as a drag performer and activist throughout the 1970s and 1980s. RuPaul's first experience of a drag performance was seeing LaBeija perform a lipsync routine at a nightclub in Atlanta in 1979.[10]

LaBeija died of liver failure in 1982, according to an article in Rolling Stone from 2019. However, in a New York Times article from 1993, "The Queen on the Runway Again", which describes a revival of the movie at the Film Forum, Labeija was still alive, attended the premiere, and had a reunion of sorts with contest winner Harlow. "'She was very very lovely to me', Miss Harlow said of Crystal, who remains a fixture in the drag world."[11]


See also

References
  1. Iovannone, Jeffry J. (June 29, 2018). "Crystal LaBeija: Legendary House Mother". Queer History for the People. Medium. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  2. Street, Mikelle (August 19, 2016). "The Iconic Drag Queen Behind Frank Ocean's Endless". Vice.
  3. "Crystal LaBeija: Queen of Shade, Mother of the Ball". Tom and Lorenzo. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  4. Street, Mikelle (February 16, 2018). "5 Things to Know About Ballroom Icon Crystal LaBeija". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  5. Lawrence, Tim. "'Listen, and you will hear all the houses that walked there before': A history of drag balls, houses and the culture of voguing" (PDF). ezratemko.com/.
  6. Tourjee, Diana (Winter 2017). "THE MARLOW LA FANTASTIQUE SHOW". Aperture. 229: 40–47 – via JSTOR.
  7. Tavia Nyong'o. Afro-fabulations : the queer drama of Black life. ISBN 9781479856275. OCLC 1031956694.
  8. "'Listen, and You Will Hear all the Houses that Walked There Before': A History of Drag Balls, Houses and the Culture of Voguing. London: Soul Jazz, 2011". timlawrence.info. July 16, 2013.
  9. "The Church of OVAH: Transcendence in the House Ballroom Scene · ArtsEverywhere". ArtsEverywhere. June 20, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  10. Wortham, Jenna (January 24, 2018). "Is 'RuPaul's Drag Race' the Most Radical Show on TV?". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  11. Portwood, Jerry (December 16, 2019). "Why 'The Queen' Documentary Is an Essential Queer Time Capsule". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
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