How do black people create communities in which they can be themselves, free of the ever present white gaze? I found the answer in the most unlikely of places. The Debauchery Ball is a biannual, invite only event created by local poet, author, and visionary Khari Boden. While billed as a safe space for black BDSM exploration, anyone that’s ever been to the Debauchery ball will tell you that it isn’t about sex. Sex is the undertone for the euphoric movement. There's a liberation that occurs on the dance floor. A type of worship. 
 

The Debauchery Ball is a practice of activism; a firm and direct response to a white culture that tries to define who and what it means to be Black. This isn’t a dance party, but an homage to the origins of house music and how it defined black and queer culture from the late 70’s until now.