Ballroom Prancing  South Florida's burgeoning gay ballroom scene
has attracted an army of cross-dressers and transsexuals, who
compete for bragging rights as fashion divas  Ballroom houses
are not just places for young gays and lesbians to party and
compete with one another. As those involved repeatedly maintain,
they act as secondary families where members can get support
when dealing with the pressures of dating, coming out of the
closet, or feelings of alienation. The leaders of each house,
typically two men, are referred to as fathers and mothers. It's
a multiethnic world populated by Latino, African-American, and
Anglo kids drawn together by sexual rather than racial
preferences. The South Florida houses, unlike some in New York,
are open to both men and women.  "The reason we call ourselves a
family more than a house is because we are there for each other
when someone needs help," says Alexis Rodriguez, the House of
Lords' former leader. He says he cannot count the times he's had
to get his children out