In this episode of Assigned Sex, Unarchived, Shaun talks with Chris, aka Conjure Boi, a root worker and teacher. They cover hoodoo's roots in ancestral practice and the wave of appropriation that followed films like Sinners.
They also talk about how to choose which ancestors you honor. In the history segment, Shaun tells the story of Crystal LaBeija, a Harlem drag performer who competed on New York's racially divided pageant circuit in the 1960s.
In 1967 she walked off stage after losing a contest she said was rigged for a white contestant. The 1968 documentary The Queen captured that moment.
It led Crystal to found the House of LaBeija in 1972, the first house of modern ballroom culture. That house became a chosen family structure, and it still shelters queer and trans youth today.
If you want honest talk about hoodoo and ancestral veneration, this episode is for you. It also covers the gatekeeping of Black spiritual traditions against appropriation, what it means to be queer and non-binary within conjure practice, and the origins of ballroom and house culture.
Follow Assigned Sex on Facebook and Instagram at @assignedsex, and subscribe to the Assigned Sex newsletter on Substack for episode updates and extended conversations. Credits: Host: Shaun Dawson · Guest: Conjure Boi (Chris) Audio Engineer: Aaron Freeman · Producers: Shaun Dawson & Nandikayyy · Sound Design: Nandikayyy Sources: — "The moment that brought forth the #NYCBallroomScene - Crystal LaBeija 'The Queen Documentary: 1967'" — LaBronxTV: — "LaBeija" — ForAllThatOtherStuff: — "The Queen - Crystal LaBeija THIRD runner up, 1967" — pardedos94501 :
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