This post was updated April 24 at 10:15 a.m.

Editor’s note: UCLA Radio is an organization under UCLA Student Media but operates independently of the Daily Bruin.

Thomas J. Foster is here to serve all things Kunt.

The first-year acting student is the personality behind a new UCLA radio show “The KuntBox.” First premiering April 7, the hourlong show has garnered attention from UCLA community members for its danceable and upbeat sound.

Foster joined UCLA Radio’s music staff winter quarter, working as an intern. Now, he stars live every Friday at 6 p.m. on the UCLA Radio website, recording from the backrooms of Ackerman Union in a radio station filled with colorful stickers, graffiti and polaroid pictures.

Working under the alias DJ Butchy, Foster often features SoundCloud remixes of popular femme songs. His most recent episode featured a remix of “Sunshine” by the rapper Latto to commemorate the upcoming sunny weekend – a song he lined up while wearing glitter chrome nails.

After hearing many other radio shows often playing indie “sad girl” music, Foster said he wanted his radio show to be upbeat, allowing for listeners to simply have fun. He said he particularly wanted to showcase ballroom culture in the type of music that he would DJ.

Originating in New York during the Harlem Renaissance, ballroom culture emerged as a safe haven for queer people of color away from the systemic oppression they faced. Community members often gathered for balls, performing in various categories and at times engaging in the dance style of voguing. The balls served as a collective rejection of various forms of marginalization, such as racism from white communities and homophobia in the Black community, according to Time Magazine.

“Shunned femininity … is common within queer communities of color, especially with men,” he said. “But it (ballroom culture) was very empowering for me, and that’s why I love it so much.”

Foster said he chose the word “Kunt” for his radio show name because it helps him feel like he is embodying a powerful, self-assured aura. Despite having less positive connotations in other spaces, the word “Kunt” – sometimes spelled with a C – is often a term used to praise femininity and self-expression in ballroom culture. He also thought of Peter Pan and the symbol of treasure chests when adding the word “box,” as he would be playing his treasured playlist or “box” of songs, he said.

Foster said he defines embodying Kunt as fully owning oneself.

“Everyone can sense your presence, of course, but everybody’s acknowledgment of your presence doesn’t faze you,” he said. “You’re feeling your final form.”

He said his alias was also created to honor ballroom culture. The name has several meanings and references, unapologetically rhyming with “bitchy” and also nodding to the “butch queen” category in ballroom culture, a term often used to refer to gay men who portray feminine and masculine traits.

“(Ballroom culture) just allowed a free space for a new art to form through dance, performance, expression and character. It’s beautiful,” he said. “It’s something that allowed me … to really come into myself.”

While he does want to showcase ballroom culture on his radio show, Foster said his overall goal is to highlight Black femininity in all its facets, from empowering sexuality to alternative expressions and queer femininity.

One listener of the show is Foster’s mother, Gloria Briggs. A self-described old-school mom, she was initially unsure of the explicit language Foster employs, particularly in the show’s title. However, she said she was proud of her son for challenging the norm.

“At first instinct, it’s vulgar. But when it was broken down to me how it’s used as empowerment, I had a better understanding,” Briggs said. “Thomas has really impressed me as a parent and just as an individual to constantly grow and open up my perspective.”

Other listeners have also appreciated Foster’s approach to fostering more representation through his show.

Fatimah Shuaib, a first-year human biology and society student, said they make time to listen to “The KuntBox” during their online class on Fridays. Shuaib loves how Foster’s confident personality translates into the radio show, they said.

Shuaib added that they feel it is also important to appreciate cultures by interacting with media made by members of the communities they originated within.

“So many … non-Black people indulge in Black culture and indulge in Black queer culture,” they said. “If you’re not hearing it straight from the source, … it’s not as authentic.”

Ryan Buchanan, a first-year civil engineering student, said the radio show serves an important purpose because he feels that it highlights the voices of communities who are often misrepresented.

Foster said he felt empowered to challenge the misconceptions his community faces. Foster added that even if listeners are just dropping by to try it and don’t fully partake in his type of music, he is happy for anyone to listen.

As Foster looks to the future, he said he is excited to learn more about music production, as well as to establish a larger audience for “The KuntBox.”

“In every facet that we can get here at UCLA, there needs to be some sort of (space for) gay Blackness,” Foster said. “Our community needs to be just in general represented in every sort of way.”