Wouldn’t it be amazing to get another chance at your prom?
Ebone Bell has the super power to do just that.
By Ruddy Harootian
Elaine Mensah, Ted Davis, and Ebone Bell at the Put on the Gloves Fashion Event for the Trevor Project. (Photo by Tony Powell)
Having had her own prom be a complete disappointment, she realized that many other people in the LGBT community felt the same way. The idea for The Capital Queer Prom began as an all woman event, but there was a strong need from others in the community that also wanted to participate and it was only natural to open the event up to everyone. It’s a do-over opportunity that supports local non-profit organizations like the Youth Pride Alliance, who was this years beneficiary. At the end of the day, bringing people together is the main goal that Ebone Bell tries to push forward, as she told me she feels that somehow D.
C. is still a very segregated place. There are so many levels in which people set themselves apart from one another.
Race, gender, sexuality, political views. The best thing about Ebone is that she has that super hero quality of someone who keeps going until they see the change they wish to be. Strong and now an official advocate for gay rights, The Queer Capital Prom just turned five years old. The stories of the people that attend the prom are what keep Ebone motivated to start planning for the next event the day after the last one finishes.
Raising awareness on LGBT issues is a part of what makes this prom unique and in a way very much DC, but another part of the success of the event has to do with Ebone herself.
The core of her mission is that everyone deserves a second chance to feel fabulous at the American staple of prom. All she needs now is a distinctive costume with a cape and a base of operations.
