Confessions of a Black Gay Man

For many, the only reference of the House/Ball community comes from the movie, “Paris Is Burning;” which showed a world chiefly occupied by a melee of artistically talented misfits and criminals. Since then, members of the “House/Ball” sub-culture have often been viewed as outcasts of the larger lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and are even stigmatized among Black and Latino LGBTs. But there have been some changes to the world captured in Jenny Livingston’s revealing film. Chief among those changes is the efforts made by The House of Manolo Blahnik. This house chose to make a difference in the lives of others by awarding the “FIRST EVER” scholarship to students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities, both of whom are members of Houses.

The House of Manolo Blahnik, like those featured in Paris is Burning, values all of the social contributions made by this marginalized population; but, The House of Manolo Blahnik is also a real non-profit organization under the fiscal management of the New York State Black Gay Network. The House of Manolo Blahnik established its’ Tony Milan Scholarship Fund in 2006, to support the educational and “ballroom” success of LGBT members of the House/Ball community. The Tony Milan Scholarship Fund encourages LGBT community members to aspire to positions in which they are able to contribute to society, are open about their sexual orientation and act as role models for their peers in the Ballroom scene.

Read more and get information at stephaunelite.blogspot.com.