KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — More than a decade ago, two people met in East Tennessee. One was a drag performer who shined in the limelight, and the other was a fearless advocate for his community and his East Tennessee home.
Latrice Royale travels across the U.S. and brings shows to stages in different cities. She's "large and in charge, chunky yet funky, bold and beautiful." During her career, she landed on RuPaul's Drag Race where she won the title of Miss Congeniality.
"I'm very outgoing. People look at me as a leader. I never envisioned myself doing drag. But once I found it, got good at it — my whole world changed," she said. "I decided to put all my efforts into what I loved most. Literally, I don't know where I would be. It helped me get my power, I'm an entrepreneur. Drag is my love and I don't know where I would be without power."
Drag helped her change her life after she served time in prison. Through it, she found a community of fans, including one named Christopher Hamblin. He was a talented musician from Knoxville who had advocated for the LGBTQ+ community for years.
He and Latrice met in Knoxville in 2012.
"Someone of her stature, I wanted to make sure she had a good time. She started flirting and I didn't really pay it that much attention. I was sassy and I got her attention," he said.
Latrice said Hamblin looked past the character she played on stage, and started asking about the person Latrice was at home. She otherwise goes by "Tim," outside of her character as a drag performer.
"One of the first things he ever said to me when we started to date, he said, 'You have Latrice things taken care of, but who is taking care of Tim? We don't want Tim to burn out, because we need you.' No one had ever said something that thoughtful to me," said Royale.
They married in 2018 and moved to Florida together. They tour around the U.S. with Hamblin working as Latrice's musical director and executive assistant. They went to Knoxville for a performance after a law passed that attacked drag performances.
The law was later found to be unconstitutional by a federal judge.
"I get told that every day of my life, 'You have saved my life.' Or, 'I was in a dark place.' People are traumatized by their lives, but they see my strength and perseverance, and they say, 'If Latrice can do it, I can do it.'"
As a couple off the stage, the lives of Latrice and Christopher have less limelight and glamor. They sit together and watch old television shows, enjoying each other's time while they work to end misconceptions about drag performances and the LGBTQ+ community.
"Overall, with all this going on, we as a people just need to be more compassionate," said Latrice. "If things you are scared of are crippling you, you'll never know true happiness and joy being stuck in a rut. There's a world that wants to embrace you if you just let it."