'Newark is Burning: From Cakewalk to Catwalk' part of the NJPAC Lesbian, Gay, Bi

[Shana A]

'Newark is Burning: From Cakewalk to Catwalk' part of the NJPAC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Weekend
By Lisa Irizarry
April 08, 2010, 6:38PM

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2010/04/newark_is_burning_from_cakewal.html

McAllister, now a 40-year-old patient advocate at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, explains that although his mother kept the door open, her mind remained closed. "I'd take trains to the Village (Greenwich Village, in Manhattan), and once I got there, I became free."

It was there that McAllister learned about the "ballroom scene" -- fashionable competitions in which drag queens compete, winning prizes for their outrageous outfits and dramatic catwalk moves.