General
children / house children
What does children / house children mean?
The children are the members of a house, taken in and raised by the house mother and father. They get coached to walk balls, schooled in the scene, and folded into a chosen family — bonding as siblings under the same roof. The word carries the whole logic of ballroom: houses are alternative families built by and for Black and Latino LGBTQ people the wider world shut out.
"She's mother to a dozen children, and every one of them walks for the house at every ball."
Origin
Black and Latino/Latina LGBTQ ballroom scene; central to the house kinship structure documented in Paris Is Burning (1990) and Pose.
Frequently asked questions
What does house children mean?
House children are the mentored members of a ballroom house, parented by its mother and father.
How do you use house children in a sentence?
You might hear 'The house mother is proud of her house children walking their first ball.'
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