Jeffrey Bryant 'Kiddie' LaBeija, overseer of the House of LaBeija, joins Cheddar News to discuss the recent partnership with Facebook and the importance of your chosen family.

Between Bells

'The House of LaBeija' Talks Ballroom Culture, Partnering with Facebook

friends between bells and baker machado and new york within the L G B T Q plus community, nothing nearly as important as the people that you surround yourself with and members of the House of Lab Asia from HBO MAx's ballroom competition series legendary. Well they know that to be especially true and despite the competition aspect at the end of the day, just embracing their chosen family is crucial to who they are and who they surround themselves with. So joining us now to discuss is overseer of the House of Love Asia from HBO MAX's legendary, Jeffrey, Bryant kitty Love Asia, great to have you here. I am such a fan of legendary, this show is so, so cool and it just wrapped up its third season. So how does being your authentic self on this series make an impact to you and those watching on this show? First of all, I'd like to say it is an honor to be on your show and what else I would like to say is um having the opportunity to be a part of such a iconic moment within history and being celebrated as LGBT poc people of color. It is just an amazing thing. Just to see the House of Love Asia and great production, The lighting is amazing. Um just the whole atmosphere of this celebration which is legendary. It's just an amazing experience beyond my wildest dreams. So how House of Love Asia, what I love about you guys and correct me if I'm wrong has a very storied history. I mean what sixties or seventies was when the House of Love Asia was was formed and you know showing this house is so amazing on this show. How do you feel like House of Love Asia has really sort of impacted the ballroom seeing? Well that's actually a passion of mine and say how Love Asia has impacted the ballroom scene. For starters the House of Love Asia is a civil rights house and with the House of Love Asia is based on its human rights. How we've impacted the scene is basically when it came to conforming to beauty standards that were european beauty standards. Crystal lobby just said enough and she took ballroom uptown and created it from via the pageant Um community and she started ballroom where LGBT people of colour actually celebrate being who they are now. We have to be re mindful that in the 70s a lot of African Americans and Latinos, they were not able to get corporate jobs, schooling wasn't afforded to them, a lot of things were not afforded to them. So the balls actually was a place where you could be who you were and be celebrated for. Absolutely and all the people also that you've taken into this house because think of all the people who were thrown out of their homes for being L. G. B. T. Q. You know and had no other place to go and so the family that you basically get you create in the house is also one of the most important parts here. Like it's so funny, like we were okay with going into the drama of what the past was like and how the hardship affected us. But let's talk about ballroom today, let's talk about high end content, high end productions and the fact that the household of Asia is trademarked. The fact that Lob Asia has people that have two master degrees in there in this house. We have educated people, we are moving on trail, braising house in La vega is the very first house to be trademarked. We also have the L. L. C. Um, right now, what you really need to know and a lot of people don't know, ballroom is a multi million dollar industry from getting your outfits together from paying for balls, two promoters doing venues and it is about us realizing that we are trying to catapult into today's injuries in industry standards and I think a lot of people, they do get caught up in the past, what it was like for paris is burning and that was when we were destitute resources were hard to find. There are places like barroom, we care, there are places like house lives matter. These are non profit organizations that actually help the community, whether it be mental health, whether it be housing, we are actually becoming established and taking care of our own and we are no longer in such a destitute. However, being trademarked, we do have charitable stuff that we do as well as those things matter with barroom today needs its sponsorship and we need for people to realize that our dollar matters, We collect the dollar, we are the consumer and as pOC people, we want to have a seat at the table when it comes to our content. Absolutely. By the way, let's not forget another all star that came from the House of Asia Asia, all of us from Rupaul's throughout Grace, know who a is. So that's amazing the people that come from this house. So you mentioned sponsorships, Let's talk about that because right now you guys have partnered with facebook. So tell us a little about this partnership and why partnering with them was sort of good for you guys here. Oh my God, you know, it's just crazy, meta and um, facebook beyond our wildest dreams. We partner with them because they actually catapult to the occasion to realize the importance of Children family. They catapult to the occasion to realize the importance of industry standards, having equality. They catapult to the occasion of wanting to celebrate a community that is pretty much on facebook and which is amazing because I feel like it's just giving you guys the sort of next level in terms of communication to show off what's happening at the House of Love Asia. We've also partnered with Taco Bell as well and we've also partnered partnered with Kashmir marketing. So like we're actually on the move and we're just doing amazing things and the blessing is that queer black stories are starting to matter. Brown people's stories are starting to matter asian people's stories are starting to matter and being LGBT is just an inkling of what we really have to say in reference to our talents, our intellectual um personalities, as well as just things that we are finally getting to get out. Amen So well said, such a pleasure to meet you overseer of the House of Love Asia from HBO max's legendary Jeffrey, brian kitty, Love Asia. Such a pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for joining us.