Willi Ninja and Eddy Ninja voguing, with Essex Hemphill performing his 1986 poem "In the Life," in Marlon Riggs’ 1989 film TONGUES UNTIED. Today's post is by Larry Duplechan and is about one of the films featured in his latest book "Movies That Made Me Gay" - be sure to check out the full post on the QCA website! #lgbtqia #lgbtqiaplus #pridemonth #voguing #queerfilm #QueerCinema #LGBTFilm #gayfilm #gaymovie #gayhistory #queerhistory #lgbthistory #queerart #poetry | Queer Cinema Archive

This Wake Up Wednesday, we honor Willi Ninja, the groundbreaking icon known for his unique style and prominence in the Harlem Ball scene in the 1980s which pushed voguing to knew heights. He established his own House of Ninja in 1982. “A Ninja is like an invisible assassin,” he explained. “He completes his assignment and leaves. That’s exactly what we did when we went to the first ball. We won and we left. Everybody was like, who the hell are they?” Ninja’s profile grew exponentially after he wa