Honoring 'Drag Race' star Honey Davenport's legacy of love and unity
Fri. August 14, 2026 11:01 AM by GoPride.com News Staff
photo credit // michael oboza
Give Them Their Flowers is a series by Michael Oboza featuring mini profiles of people in the LGBTQ community
CHICAGO, ILL. -
By Michael Oboza, Special to GoPride.com
"When I walked into the workroom of RuPaul's Drag Race, I said my tagline. When I walked on the International Mr. Leather stage, I spoke my truth," reflects Honey Davenport. "There's only one thing you need to know about me: this honey is raw and unfiltered."
During my final year as a volunteer photojournalist, I made it my intentional mission to uplift and acknowledge living legends in our community and Honey Davenport’s enduring legacy embodies exactly why giving our icons their flowers in real time matters.
For Davenport, true visibility began long before the television cameras started rolling. Sometimes, awareness is not an act of doing, but simply a state of being.
"Having been out for more than half my life, my memories of the time before are defined by a sense of dislocation—a feeling that parts of me had no place here," Davenport shares. "I couldn't truly feel loved back then because without living authentically, I wasn't allowing the world to see or embrace the full scope of who I am."
While the journey toward unconditional self-love can be daunting, finding acceptance at home provided a vital foundation.
"Coming out revealed a level of love and acceptance I didn't know was possible," Davenport recalls. "While I know this isn't the case for everyone, my family embraced me wholeheartedly—my Aunt Patricia was even upset to realize I hadn't felt comfortable sharing my full self with her sooner."
Long before entering the global spotlight of reality television, Davenport had already cemented a formidable legacy in the performance and pageant circuits, capturing 18 pageant crowns and titles across the country. Yet beyond the fierce competition and glamour, it has always been Davenport's vulnerability and genuine spirit that resonate most deeply.
Following her elimination on Season 11 of RuPaul's Drag Race, Davenport left behind a heartfelt mirror message that continues to define her artistic ethos, "Sisters if nothing else show the world your heart. I hope y'all saw mine. Xoxo, Honey."
When a seasoned changemaker shares hard-won wisdom, the impact reaches far into the future. Davenport champions cross-community unity over division, reminding the broader queer collective of the power found at our intersections.
"We contain multitudes. You are allowed to be anything, and you have permission to be everything," Davenport emphasizes.
"While keeping our subcultures separate can feel necessary at times, division only makes us easier to disenfranchise. We are infinitely stronger together. Our unique identities aren't just what make us special—they are our superpower and our primary tool to dismantle systems of oppression."
Through unfiltered authenticity, radical love, and relentless advocacy, Honey Davenport continues to model what it means to lead with heart and light the path forward for generations to come.
"When I walked into the workroom of RuPaul's Drag Race, I said my tagline. When I walked on the International Mr. Leather stage, I spoke my truth," reflects Honey Davenport. "There's only one thing you need to know about me: this honey is raw and unfiltered."
During my final year as a volunteer photojournalist, I made it my intentional mission to uplift and acknowledge living legends in our community and Honey Davenport’s enduring legacy embodies exactly why giving our icons their flowers in real time matters.
For Davenport, true visibility began long before the television cameras started rolling. Sometimes, awareness is not an act of doing, but simply a state of being.
"Having been out for more than half my life, my memories of the time before are defined by a sense of dislocation—a feeling that parts of me had no place here," Davenport shares. "I couldn't truly feel loved back then because without living authentically, I wasn't allowing the world to see or embrace the full scope of who I am."
While the journey toward unconditional self-love can be daunting, finding acceptance at home provided a vital foundation.
"Coming out revealed a level of love and acceptance I didn't know was possible," Davenport recalls. "While I know this isn't the case for everyone, my family embraced me wholeheartedly—my Aunt Patricia was even upset to realize I hadn't felt comfortable sharing my full self with her sooner."
Long before entering the global spotlight of reality television, Davenport had already cemented a formidable legacy in the performance and pageant circuits, capturing 18 pageant crowns and titles across the country. Yet beyond the fierce competition and glamour, it has always been Davenport's vulnerability and genuine spirit that resonate most deeply.
Following her elimination on Season 11 of RuPaul's Drag Race, Davenport left behind a heartfelt mirror message that continues to define her artistic ethos, "Sisters if nothing else show the world your heart. I hope y'all saw mine. Xoxo, Honey."
When a seasoned changemaker shares hard-won wisdom, the impact reaches far into the future. Davenport champions cross-community unity over division, reminding the broader queer collective of the power found at our intersections.
"We contain multitudes. You are allowed to be anything, and you have permission to be everything," Davenport emphasizes.
"While keeping our subcultures separate can feel necessary at times, division only makes us easier to disenfranchise. We are infinitely stronger together. Our unique identities aren't just what make us special—they are our superpower and our primary tool to dismantle systems of oppression."
Through unfiltered authenticity, radical love, and relentless advocacy, Honey Davenport continues to model what it means to lead with heart and light the path forward for generations to come.