Individual | Inducted 2025
Dr. Mario Pierce, also known as Midwest Father Mario Balenciaga, is senior director of programs at Brave Space Alliance, an LGBTQ+-focused center on Chicago’s South Side. In that role he directs programming to impact youth, young adult and adult LGBTQ+/GNC/Non-Binary community members. As a dedicated researcher and educator, he utilizes more than two decades of experience in community health, education, and advocacy.
His work at the Chicago Center for HIV Elimination and University of Chicago Medicine equipped him with skills to develop and implement community-based programs, facilitate support groups emphasizing health literacy and life skills, and managing educational and health-related initiatives.
As a key figure in the Chicago and Midwest House Ballroom scene, he was initiated into the House of Balenciaga in 2002 at its inception. He became the first Midwest Father of the House of Balenciaga in 2008 and was elevated to Ballroom Icon in 2018. He has been a powerful and transformative force within the House Lives Matter international grassroots organizing initiative of the House and Ballroom Community since 2016. Pierce’s extraordinary legacy of leadership is deeply ingrained in the principles and mission of the House of Balenciaga, which emphasize excellence, professionalism, community involvement, and visibility. His unwavering leadership, vision, and commitment in the Chicago House Ballroom community and on the national stage have been lifesaving.