LGBTQ+ Sociopolitical Engagement: Examining the Role of House Ball Community Involvement and LGBTQ+ Community Connection.

This article examines the role of LGBTQ+ community connection and involvement in the House Ball Community—a subculture rooted in Black and Latine queer and transgender networks—in predicting sociopolitical engagement among LGBTQ+ people of color (POC). Using data from the 2010 Social Justice Sexuality Project (N = 246), the study found that while general LGBTQ+ community connection was significantly associated with both LGBTQ+ and intersectional LGBTQ+ sociopolitical engagement, House Ball Community involvement was uniquely and more strongly linked to intersectional LGBTQ+ sociopolitical engagement. Participants involved in the House Ball Community were more likely to have lower incomes and less likely to identify as politically liberal compared to non-involved participants. The findings highlight the House Ball Community’s potential as a culturally responsive site of empowerment and activism for multiply marginalized LGBTQ+ POC, with implications for social work practice and intersectional social movements.