Ball on the Bridge, an event highlighting ball culture and the need for improved health-care services for Pittsburgh’s LGBT community, took place on the Andy Warhol Bridge Saturday night. The event had 28 competition categories on the bridge, which was closed down to traffic. The sidewalks remained open and passersby were encouraged to take in the action.
“We want to see you up here on this stage!” the MC hollered to those who stopped to watch.
Ball on the Bridge, which the Delta Foundation helped to organize, was meant to “bridge the gap” of health-care access for members of the LGBT community. Dalen Hooks, a longtime participant of the Pittsburgh ball scene and the main organizer of the night, told City Paper’s event preview.
“One of the perks of having this outside is [that] it is taking something that it is underground and making it mainstream,” Hooks told CP.
The night also brought a sense of community. Everyone seemed to know everyone else, greeting each other with hugs and kisses. Check out our highlights from the event below.
This article appears in Jun 15-21, 2016.




Unions support LGBTQ rights but Pittsburgh community does not support Union. http://www.pghcitypaper.com/Blogh/archives/2015/10/29/labor-union-also-takes-issue-with-pittsburghs-delta-foundation
It might have occurred to the author to bother to define the term “ball culture”.