'Hold That Pose' offers queer and trans youth a place to dance, build community, and find resources

Advocates for queer and trans youth from the SeaTac Ballroom scene are hosting drop-in sessions this weekend at Intiman Theatre in Capitol Hill to help provide access to services, practice a variety of dance styles and techniques, and connect with one another.

In addition to fun activities and community building, the "Hold that Pose for Me" event provides information about housing, employment, gender-affirming care and other services for young people, as well as resources for parents.

One of the event organizers, Julian Everett, also hosted a ball on June 10 where people competed in model walking, voguing, and other competitions.

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“But the once the ball is over and you still have actual life hardships and challenges to address, where can you go?" Everett asked. "What can you do? And that's where this comes in.”

Everett said Black and Brown queer and trans people have often not been given adequate space and resources to have a voice addressing problems and offering solutions to problems that people from the LGBTQ+ community face in Western Washington, especially issues facing Black, Indigenous and People of Color, or BIPOC, communities.

“We have not been at the tables to have these conversations to depict our needs, to explain how we can work alongside our potential colleagues to be able to subdue or at least to address any of the disparities that we have endured," he said.

Everett has previous experience working in the ballroom scene, as a member of the legendary Xclusive House of Lavin, and West Coast Mother of the Kiki house of Mattel.

The drop-in sessions will be held starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 17, at Seattle Central College’s Intiman Theater at 801 E. Pine Street.