According to HBO Max’s announcement, the series will “highlight modern-day ball culture,” with “divas” from eight different Houses competing in fashion and dance challenges.
Jameela’s tweet read: “I’m *so* excited to be a tiny part of bringing ballroom further into the mainstream where it belongs. I’m here to celebrate some of the coolest, most talented people on the planet who deserve center stage. I’m honored to join these brilliant artists.” Los Angeles Times provided a history of the same. The ballroom is an underground LGBTQ subculture. Its origin traces back to 1920s New York.
Balls were a place for predominantly black and Latino members of the LGBTQ community. They would participate in drag competitions in various categories. They were safe spaces for queer people, particularly in the face of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and violence against trans women of color. But, netizens and members of the queer community were unhappy with this decision. Many stated that since Jameela does not belong to the LGBTQ community, it is a misrepresentation. A member of the LGBTQ community who has familiarity with the ballroom scene would make a better MC.
Muna Mire tweeted saying, “Deleted a less diplomatic tweet but without dunking on anyone, this is an odd choice. You'd want a judge to be familiar with ballroom and I don't know that Jamil is? There are people I can think of with enough star power and expertise. This matters to me as a queer black person.”
These are a few of the many tweets. Evette Dionne tweeted: “This is what taking up space for the sake of taking up space looks like. It would’ve been so dope for Jameela to pass on this opportunity and recommend a member of this community to MC the competition series.”
