noun
General Slang
father / house father
· noun · ballroom
The seasoned leader of a ballroom house who guides and protects its members.
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Definitions
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In ballroom culture, the father is the head of a house — usually a butch queen or butch with the most trophies and the longest time on the scene. It's a chosen-family role, not a biological one. The father coaches children on their categories, helps build costumes, and doubles as a real source of emotional and sometimes financial support for kids who've been pushed out by their families of origin. Sits alongside the house mother as co-parent of the family.
“My house father taught me to walk Realness and let me crash on his couch when my folks kicked me out.”
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father / house father In A Sentence
My house father taught me to walk Realness and let me crash on his couch when my folks kicked me out.
Origin & Usage
Black and Latino/Latina LGBTQ ballroom scene, Harlem, mid-20th century onward; documented widely after Paris Is Burning (1990) and later Pose.
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