Hector Xtravaganza (né Hector Crespo)[1] was a member of the House of Xtravaganza and well-known figure in the NYC ballroom life, entertainer, fashion stylist, and public advocate for HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ organizations.
Early life
Born Hector Crespo, he was raised by his single mother in the Jersey City area of New Jersey. Starting in his early teens, he frequently socialized in the West Village area of New York City, the historically gay epicenter of New York City's LGBTQ community. His sexual orientation as a gay man caused his mother to reject him. For periods of time in his mid-to-late teens, he was homeless or lived with friends. Due to the transient nature of his living situation, he did not complete high school, having stopped attending during the ninth grade.[1] His personal experiences with the impact of rejection due to sexual orientation would deeply shape his adult views of the concepts of chosen family and self-created identity.[1]
Ballroom scene
Hector frequently socialized on the Christopher Street pier in the West Village area of New York City. The location was a popular gathering place for African American and Latino LGBTQ+ people, many of whom also participated in the underground ballroom scene. It was there that Hector first encountered the dance form known as Voguing which had emerged from ballroom culture, as well as met transgender women of color associated with the ballroom scene. In ballroom culture, Houses serve the dual role of teams in ballroom competition as well as providing surrogate families for LGBTQ+ members, many of whom had experienced rejection by their biological families and in broader society. Members of Houses traditionally take the house name as their surname (e.g., Willi Ninja) to denote their chosen family.
In 1982, Hector Crespo joined the newly formed House of Extravaganza (original spelling), founded by his friend Hector Valle. The House of Extravaganza was the first primarily Latin ballroom house in what had traditionally been an almost exclusively African American community. Angie Xtravaganza, a transgender woman of Puerto Rican heritage, took on the role of House Mother and became a close friend and confidant to Hector. In ballroom competition, Hector represented the House of Xtravaganza in various categories including “Face” and “Model's Effect,” where he quickly developed a reputation as a worthy runway competitor.
By the late 1980s, the underground ballroom scene began to garner mainstream attention in mainstream media. First with the song by Malcolm McLaren and the Bootzilla Orchestra called "Deep in Vogue" which sampled audio from the still unreleased film "Paris is Burning." Then culminated with Madonna's 1990 hit single and music video for "Vogue," inspired by the dance form created by the ballroom community, and the 1990 documentary film Paris Is Burning which made stars of several ballroom personalities who to that point had remained mostly unknown outside of the scene. The House of Xtravaganza and its members were closely associated with both Madonna's "Vogue" and Paris Is Burning; Hector Xtravaganza appeared in the runway competition scenes of the documentary film. The mainstream attention provided Hector the opportunity to work as a fashion stylist and designer for various popular music artists, including Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown.[2]
The deepening AIDS crisis of the early 1990s impacted the House of Xtravaganza and the broader ballroom scene. Hector himself was diagnosed as HIV-positive by 1985.[3] Mother Angie Xtravaganza died from complication of AIDS in 1993. That same year, Hector assumed the role of House Father, a position he held until 2003.[1] These experiences drove Hector to use his notoriety as a ballroom personality in support of HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns and projects.
During his tenure as House Father, Hector hosted numerous events for the ballroom community.[4] He also developed a reputation as an advisor to other houses and younger members of the growing ballroom scene, which had begun to network to cities across the United States. By the mid-1990s, Hector legally changed his name to Hector Xtravaganza, further demonstrating his association with the House as his chosen surrogate family and his self-created identity.[5] He was featured in the 1996 documentary film “Mirror, Mirror”[6] and the 2006 documentary “How Do I Look” directed by Wolfgang Busch.[7]
In 2004, Hector took the honorary title of House Grandfather, with former Madonna dancer and choreographer Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza taking the role of House Father. Hector had the words “Grandfather” and “Xtravaganza” tattooed on his forearms and frequently posed for photos displaying the inked title.[8] In 2005, Hector Xtravaganza was inducted to the Ballroom Hall of Fame, an elite group of ballroom pioneers and icons.[9] He was extensively interviewed for Chantal Regnault's Voguing & the Ballroom Scene 1989-92 (Soul Jazz books, 2011)[3] and appeared in Legendary: Inside the House Ballroom Scene (Duke University Press, 2013) by Gerard H. Gaskin.[10] He appeared in the Icona Pop music video for "All Night" along with other House of Xtravaganza members.[11][12] In 2017, veteran television producer Ryan Murphy began working on a drama for the FX network set in the New York ballroom scene of the 1980s. To ensure an accurate depiction of ballroom culture of the period, several consultants were enlisted to assist on the show, including Hector Xtravaganza, Sol Pendavis, and Freddie Pendavis. The series Pose premiered on FX in June 2018.[13]
HIV/AIDS advocacy
The AIDS crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s had a deep and personal impact on Hector. He was himself diagnosed as HIV-positive by 1985 and lost numerous friends and surrogate adopted family members to the virus. In response to the crisis, Hector committed to leveraging his ballroom notoriety and position within the House of Xtravaganza as an HIV/AIDS awareness advocate. In 1990, along with other members of the New York City's ballroom community, he founded the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) House of Latex project. The House of Latex serves as the outreach partner for the GMHC to members of the LGBTQ+ African American and Latino community of the ballroom scene. The GMHC Latex Ball is one of the largest annual events in the NYC LGBTQ+ community and a central activity in the organization's outreach programs serving young LGBTQ+ people of color.
In 1994, Hector, along with other members of the House of Xtravaganza, appeared as part of an HIV/AIDS awareness public service campaign sponsored by GMHC targeted to the LGBTQ+ people of color ballroom community of NYC. The campaign appeared in NYC subway stations throughout the city and helped to breakdown the stigma associated with HIV at a time before there were effective treatments.
GMHC named its Xcellence Award in honor of Hector Xtravaganza.[14] Since 2007, the award has been presented annually to a member of the ballroom community for outstanding service in support of HIV/AIDS awareness.
In 2018, Hector Xtravaganza appeared in an HIV treatment awareness campaign sponsored by the NYC Department of Health. He was recognized by POZ magazine as one of the 2018 POZ 100 for his contributions to making a difference in the fight against HIV. On World AIDS Day 2018, Xtravaganza was presented with an award of recognition by City of New York Health Acting Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot.[15]
Death
Hector Xtravaganza died of lymphoma in New York City on December 30, 2018. His death was widely covered in publications across the U.S., including Variety,[16]Out,[17] and The New York Times.[1]
