The Royal House of LaBeija is a prominent drag family founded by

Crystal LaBeija Crystal LaBeija (born 1930s, died 1990s) was an American drag queen and trans woman who founded the House of LaBeija in 1968. The House is often credited as starting the house system in ball culture. She became a mother figure for homeless LGBT ...

and

Lottie LaBeija Lottie is a feminine given name, often a diminutive for Charlotte or Lieselotte. It may refer to: People *Lottie (name) Places * Lottie, Louisiana, United States, an unincorporated community * Lottie Lake, Canadian hamlet * 3489 Lottie, a main-b ...

in 1972. Crystal and Lottie established the House of LaBeija in response to the racially oppressive drag pageant system of 1960s

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Their first event was called "Crystal & Lottie LaBeija presents the first annual House of Labeija Ball at Up the Downstairs Case on West 115th Street & 5th Avenue in Harlem, NY." This is thought to be the birth of house culture within the ballroom scene—as it is known today. Houses serve as alternative families, primarily for

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

gender nonconforming Gender variance or gender nonconformity is behavior or gender expression by an individual that does not match masculine or feminine gender norms. A gender-nonconforming person may be variant in their gender identity, being transgender or non-bina ...

and

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

youth and others who feel ostracized from conventional support systems.

House of LaBeija Film

On April 19, 2022, the Tribeca Film Festival announced that the House of LaBeija, a short film created by Fredgy Noël, would be featured at the festival. The film pays homage to the Royal House of LaBeija through a series of letters from its members. The film casts Vivian LaBeija, Samil LaBeija, Krystal LaBeija, Jasmine Rice LaBeija, Bougie LaBeija, Jeffrey Bryant, and Diovanna LaBeija.

House mothers and fathers

Like other drag families, the House of LaBeija is structured like a family, with a house “mother” and “father” who oversee and direct the group.

House of LaBeija Film

House mothers and fathers

House Mothers

House Fathers

Notable members

Past events

References