Mayor of New York names March 9 as ‘Hector Xtravaganza Day’
The ballroom legend sadly passed away at the age of 60 in December last year
By Steve Brown
The Mayor of New York City has named March 9 as the ‘Hector Xtravaganza Day’.
On Saturday (March 9), Mayor Bill de Blasio celebrated the icon– who sadly passed away aged 60 in December last year – as members of the ballroom and nightlife communities gathered at El Museo Del Barrio.
In a message, Blasio said: “Today I am pleased to join in paying tribute to this trailblazing New Yorker who exemplified the boundless creativity, diversity, inclusivity and spirit of generosity of our great city.
“Now therefore, I, Bill de Blasio, mayor of the city of New York, do hereby proclaim Saturday, March 9, 2019, in the city of New York as Hector Xtravaganza day.”
The House of Xtravaganza is one of the most publicly recognized “houses” to emerge from the New York City underground ballroom scene and among the longest continually active.
House of Xtravaganza members and the collective group are recognized for their cultural influence in the areas of dance, music, visual arts, nightlife, fashion, and community activism.
Hector is also celebrated for his work in the fashion world and his HIV and queer-related activism.
Ryan Murphy’s new hit show Pose – which Hector was a consultant and made brief cameos – is based around the ballroom scene and stars Billy Porter and Dominique Jackson, who chose Hector as her chosen father.
In Attitude’s Body issue – out now to buy and digital download – features Porter and Jackson as well as Pose’s screenwriter Steven Canals, who says the consultants on the show ‘shared their stories and experiences’.
Steven tells us: “One of the reasons I wasn’t afraid to tackle the enormous task of unpacking New York in the 1980s is that we had really incredible collaborators.
“Specifically, when it comes to the ballroom coomunity, we had a multitude of consultants who were part of it during the time that Pose is set. They held our hands and shared their stories and experiences with us.
“We knew very early on that this was going to be done the right way and that we had an opportunity to highlight this very particular culture at a very specific time, and we took it seriously.”
Check out our full interview with the Pose stars in the Attitude Body Issue, out now.
Buy now and take advantage of our best-ever subscription offers: three issues for £3 in print, 13 issues for £19.99 to download to any device.
