Faced with daunting HIV infection statistics that suggest as many as three in five could wind up positive, a handful of politically engaged New Yorkers — including “Kiki” co-writer (and small-town Virginia transplant) Twiggy Pucci Garcon — have found a lively way of engaging with gay and trans adolescents at risk of homelessness, abuse and depression. Basically, by taking a page from the Harlem-based ball culture, they have created a “safe haven” splinter movement centered around the West Village’s Christopher Street Pier (causing all sorts of problems for the older and thoroughly gentrified Stonewall neighborhood, un-addressed here).
Here, flamboyant teens meet and hang out with others like themselves, dividing up into teams (ersatz families known as “houses”) and creatively transforming themselves at Kiki balls — the kid sister to their notorious uptown dance-offs, where a fierce competitive spirit could easily destroy younger performers’ already fragile self-esteem. The word “kiki” itself is gay-slang for a fabulous get-together or party, and though dancers (their moves considerably more spastic than the choreography co-opted by Madonna back in the day) still vie for cash prizes, a typical Kiki ball emphasizes fun and acceptance, interwoven with safe-sex messaging and free STD testing.
