Pride month may be over but here at CLOSET Magazine, we are celebrating all year long and what better way to celebrate than with a beautiful drag queen?! We shot a pride themed editorial with Honey Davenport from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 11. Honey Davenport is a stunning black drag queen but we wanted to know more about her on a personal level as well. So we decided to interview Honey Davenport and we learned a ton about her!

What does Pride mean to you as a black gay person right now?

To me, Pride is a movement—I mean, that’s even a lyric in my new single, “Digital Rainbow.” When I was younger, I used to see Pride as a time to dance around in a jockstrap on a parade float. But now, I see it as an opportunity to speak up and speak out against the oppression of marginalized communities—and I mean all marginalized communities, not only LGBTQ+ people.

How was Pride for you this year with everything being virtual for the first time?

Pride this year, during quarantine, was definitely a new experience for me. Pride events across the country—the globe, even—were held online. Madonna has called the coronavirus “the great equalizer.” In a way, I feel as though this is true: drag queens across the globe are now all on an equal playing field. Everyone is stuck at home and creating the best-quality content they can. Personally, being locked in the house—being forced to connect digitally—has given me the opportunity to share my art more widely than ever before. In a bar, 30 or 50 people might see your show, but online, hundreds, thousands or more can attend. I was so gagged when Billboard reported that my performance at RuPaul’s Digital DragCon was one of the seven best moments of the event!

When was the first time you came out? How did you feel after? 

The first person I ever came out to was my godfather and math teacher—my Uncle John. He overheard me in the classroom being attacked for my sexual orientation, and afterwards, he promised me that even if what he heard was true, he would always have my back. And he has.

What was your experience like growing up gay in your hometown?

Tumultuous, to say the least! It’s a challenge being black in America, but it’s even harder being black and gay: you’re ostracized within both communities you are a part of and also by the world at large. This creates a very interesting dynamic with the fact that both of those communities themselves face a lot of discrimination from the outside world. The experience is a Russian nesting doll of discrimination—the layers of prejudice feel harder to endure than a lip sync against five other people, but at least I’ve survived one of those things!

What advice would you give to young, closeted queer people who are struggling with their identity and self-expression?

I don’t think there’s a single, uniform piece of advice that will apply to everyone, because how you navigate this situation is highly contingent on the environment and people you’re dealing with. What I will say is that it feels so much better to be able to express your authentic self. Any chance I’ve had to eliminate something that stood in my way of that has bettered my experience of life.

When was the first time that you got into drag? 

My first time in drag was when I was just 15 years old. I was attending the Pennsylvania Governor’s School of Excellence for theatre, and we had a “come as you are NOT” party. I went as my friend Becky, and she went as me. I guess this makes my original drag name Becky, which is so much funnier when you consider that my mother’s name is Karen.

What does drag mean to you?

To me, drag means using yourself as a canvas for your art while eliminating the idea of gender.

Who are some of your role models and influences for performing?

Sasha Colby, Kevin Aviance, Phylicia Rashad, Beyoncé and the Green M&M.

How has being on RuPaul’s Drag Race changed your life since the show first aired?

RuPaul’s Drag Race has expanded my platform, made my art more visible, and made it more possible than ever for me to continuously create new things. Coming from a systematically oppressed community, I’ve faced a lot of obstacles to get to this place, and Drag Race provided a huge springboard for me to finally get ahead.

Do you find that being quarantined has made you become more creative in how to utilize your platform?

I think my content released during quarantine speaks for itself. Stream “Digital Rainbow” or tune into my YouTube series Da Fuq to find out! Most importantly, though, this quarantine has helped me realize that no matter how difficult times get and no matter how hard I’ve been backed against the wall, I have the power to create art under any circumstance.

Has being on RuPaul’s Drag Race taught you anything new about yourself? 

Duh—I cry too much! I’m very concerned about the state of the world and am constantly thinking about how I can use my art to change it. That looks hella cray on TV!

What is the best part about your experience on RuPaul’s Drag Race?

For me, it’s the things that have happened after the show that have been the best part. Being on the show has allowed me to link up with a team of management, publicists and an agent who really believe in me and push me to achieve my dreams—even on days when I can’t see for myself that I want it. With this team, I’ve been able to expand my platform and showcase my art and my message to a legion of new fans I would have never been able to reach before.

What is your all-time favorite song to perform?

This is really hard to answer. As a recording artist who does drag, a lot of my numbers are originals, and they are very personal. They’re kind of like my children: I can’t love one more than another. But I will say that performing my own songs is my favorite thing in the world to do. And you can listen to them all on iTunes, Spotify and all other streaming platforms!

About how long does it take you to get into full drag?

The more appropriate question for me would be: about how long do I have to get in drag? I have the focus of a pea, so creating art on my face can take anywhere from 15 minutes to five hours! So, literally: how much time do I have? That’s how long it will take me to get into full drag.

If you could save only one drag item in a fire, what would it be? Why?

I’m so torn between lip gloss and rhinestones, because for me it has to be something shiny. But since picking two things is totally breaking the rules, I would have to go with the shiniest outfit I own: my Diego Montoya gown. Even though I was not able to feature this gorgeous, sparkly gown on Drag Race, you can catch it in the music video for my single “Cocoa Butter,” which you can find on my YouTube page. :)