“Ballroom is a place created for those without a place to call their own,” says Blanca Evangelista, the lead character on FX’s incredible show Pose. “They are a gathering of people who are not welcome to gather anywhere else. A celebration of a life that the rest of the world does not deem worthy of celebration.”

What’s going to a ball really like? It’s really inexplicable – a fantasy that requires experience.

To many, being gay meant prematurely mourning the potential loss of your family. It’s my belief that every queer comes to the same conclusion after realizing they’re not straight: once you come out, you may no longer have family of blood relation to call your own. You may have a family that willingly chooses not to be in your life.

For those who face rejection, and even those who don’t, ballroom unites lost souls and proves it to ourselves that we as gay people exist, live and thrive. There’s a lot of loneliness in queerness, and that’s why representation and visibility matters. It’s in our human nature to seek out and find what we’re looking for.

It was out of this same necessity that the legendary houses were born. Something in the community we call a chosen family.

I think a lot about these alternatives styles of the family construct. It’s the idea that friends can function as blood – the people you’ll now rely on in lieu of your biological ones because the circumstances are dire and there’s nowhere else to go.

Forty percent of the 1.6 million young people experiencing homelessness in the United States identify as LGBT, according to a 2012 study conducted by the Williams Institute at UCLA Law.

And just as the balls were inspired by fashion, the legendary houses took the names of some of the most iconic, international and renowned fashion ateliers: The House of Balenciaga, Mugler, Miyake, and even American designer and CFDA member Isaac Mizrahi.

The genesis of the posing in ballroom came straight out of the pages of fashion magazines.

The same way supermodels would walk the runways for fashion shows for these same iconic houses, balls were a catwalk and a red carpet. So much so that fashion was the source of inspiration for vogueing, and gave us the five elements: catwalk, duck walk, hand performance, floor performance, and spins and dips.

These elements come together to give us battles, where members of houses would compete against each other through a series of categories that still remain to this day.

For the ballroom community, the glory of your name is everything. Houses and members have the opportunity to make a name for themselves by winning trophies.

And that’s what makes balls special. It’s a place for survivors.

It’s my opinion, but I think the queer community is the most resilient, and I’m happy that there’s a place created by black and brown people for black and brown people with a sole purpose to celebrate that. That we exist, and that we thrive.

Having Pride in being exactly who you are – unapologetically you – and living your truth within that space should be celebrated every day.

Editor’s Note: This is an opinion editorial and reflects the views of the author.