House of Mamis is a 6 episode docuseries commissioned by INTO, an online mag for the queer world, and directed by LA filmmakers Angela Vashti Jude and Lauren Zubia Calsada. The series follows the lives of a group of young, queer performers in Mexico City who use vogueing to express themselves within their chosen family. This video is episode 5: Gender & Identity.

AJ: As members of the queer community, we know firsthand what it is like to be othered, and I believe that is why we naturally gravitate to stories of outcasts and subcultures.

‍There is so much glam around voguing right now. Once upon a time voguing was not cool, not profitable, the culture wasn’t just about dance and outfits, but more about community and that is what drew me to the Mamis.

In a tiny 2 bedroom, you have 10 people living, existing in that space. They cook to feed all of them and they all help each other get ready for the night and the house mother Mendoza, a brilliant dancer in the scene, created this house not of the best dancers around but of folx that really needed a family.

LC: What drew me to the Mamis is their way of sustaining each other, loving each other and working together, whether it be voicing transphobia in a queer space or taking the midnight train. It is done together.

House is Mamis is a family that happens to vogue.

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