Towards the end, several people at the ball start to vogue to the Madonna song. At the center is Jose Guitierez, who was one of Madonna's dancers for her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour.
ACT UP was formed in March of 1987 at the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center in New York City.
Lulu points out that Veronica is a seamstress. This is probably a nod to Bianca Castro (the actress who plays Veronica) who was a contestant (then credited as Jiggly Caliente) on the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race (2009) . On her season Bianca/Jiggly was harshly criticized by the judges for not knowing how to sew.