And in the center of the room, a boxing ring served as a dance floor, stage, and sometimes a place to make out.
The occasion was “KO: A Celebration of Dawnii,” a fundraiser held Saturday at Outbox Gym in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood. Proceeds from the party went toward future boxing classes for transgender people.
The celebrated “Dawnii” was Dawn Dawson. After Dawson revealed in January that she was transgender, she was discouraged from joining a women's boxing gym in Brooklyn.
After she posted her experience online, her friend Ian Kumamoto contacted her to help plan a response. The two had been friends since Dawson moved to Brooklyn from Miami two years ago. The two had collaborated on events for Whorechata, a party collective centered around queer POC that Kumamoto helped found.
“We came up with the idea of starting a party as an act of resistance,” Dawson said. “The passion that we both had for our community and wanting to stand up for people who wouldn't let people like me into their facilities, that's what really set off this domino effect. is.”
For Saturday's party, Whorechata collaborated with other queer party promoters such as Bubble_T, Body Hack, and Raw Honey. Max Adler offered to host a party at Outbox, a trans-centered gym that opened in 2021.
Designer Telfer loaned Dawson and Kumamoto tracksuits for the evening. His model Alex Consani also appears.
Dawson and Kumamoto hand-picked the talent from the community for the night. “All were transgender DJs, all were transgender performers,” Dawson said.
Comedian Kiko Soiree hosted the event, which was a no-brainer since there were no microphones available in the venue. “Let us remember that when we unite, organize and become a collective, we are unstoppable,” the soiree shouted to the crowd, to which cheers responded.
Drag performers bounced off the ropes of a boxing ring and collected tips from three sides of the ersatz stage, illuminated by giant flashlights passed around the audience. Dawson stood front row center and clapped, applauded and cheered.
Several performers playfully antagonized each other, pantomiming slaps and jabs. The drag king's cheat stunt took a more literal approach, appearing in the ring in full boxing attire as the “Rocky” theme played.
His set climaxed with a mouthful of fake blood and a revealing pair of ruffled gold shorts emblazoned with the word “CHAMP” as host Queen Queen wore a striped referee's shirt under her corset. Gene urged him to play the silver whistle that was hanging from the cord. around her neck.
However, their on-stage rivalry was purely performance-based. After the show, there were smiles, hugs, and kind words as partygoers danced and drank into the night.
One of the participants, who introduced herself as Jade, approached me with a portable fan. “You looked hot,” she explained. “I'm a Sagittarius, so sharing is caring.” She then handed me a bottle of water and walked off in her girlfriend's arms.
Partygoers took turns performing on portable stripper poles in what looked like the most intimidating version of a dance circle I've ever seen. Dawson himself spun and landed on a split grind to the cheers of onlookers.
The atmosphere was particularly good, and the smiles were unusually wide. “The night was so wholesome and pure,” said Luis Dorantos, founder of clubwear and lingerie label Leek NYC.
“I feel like this party was a really trans-centered event, not a trans-friendly event,” said the owner of Outbox, who spent the night cleaning up spills and leaving the room emptied. said Adler, who also picked up things.
He considered the party a great success. “We couldn't stop it,” Adler said. “At 4:30, I was turning on the lights and vacuuming, and people were still dancing.”
