And the Oddball Takes the Crown!

Everyone was rooting for her. Not only was she a Denver queen, she represented the underdog in all of us. As a person of color who is vocal about her disability and queerness, as well as a queen who’s not afraid to be all odd, all the time, there is nothing about Yvie that conforms to the status quo. Yet she won, and in a way, all of the misfits and underdogs won Ru Paul’s Drag Race. We were lucky enough to follow up with Yvie about snagging the crown and her plans now that she’s Denver’s official qween.

How did you feel when you first found out that you won? And what was the first thing that you did?

I mean, I was shocked, because I didn’t believe that it could or would happen. And it’s extremely overwhelming to say that I solidified my place in Drag Race herstory, and I will forever have the crown on my head.

As far as what I did, we were still on the Season 11 tour, so I celebrated with my girls that evening and then went back to hit the stage.

How has your life changed since then?

Well, I get a hotel room now. [laughs] I mean, I wish my answer was bigger than that. But it’s only been a week! I’m sure I’ll feel more as time goes on.

What are your plans for the future? What do you hope to do over the next few years?

Well, my big, overarching plan is to try and take a traveling tour of Oddities and Curiosities on the road and just highlight some of the really avant garde, creative artists in the queer community and expose that to the wider public.

That’s so cool! Was that something you were planning on doing whether or not you won?

I mean, it’s the same thing I’ve been working at for all seven years that I’ve been doing drag. I wanted enough exposure for people to pay attention to my art. And I wanted to use that platform to elevate all of the artists I’ve worked around and with who have so much to offer but need a bigger stage.

Overall, what has this taught you? What is your biggest takeaway from being on Drag Race?

With this whole experience, there’s always so much more to learn. Even if you’re extremely knowledgeable, even if you feel extremely prepared for something, there’s always going to be some new, brilliant aspects of whatever you’re doing that’s going to shock you. I’ve learned to roll with the punches and really live in the moment.

How did it feel to have all the support of Denver behind you? The night you won, it really sounded like everyone was watching, and everyone was posting about it on social media and cheering you on. How did that impact you?

It was crazy. I feel like I understand why straight people rally around the Broncos. [laughs] You get one person or one team, in this case one person, to represent this whole place that you come from, this experience that you’ve grown up with. To know that I had a whole city cheering for me and in my corner, it blew me away.

Just watching the responses come in was so exciting, and we’re so happy for you! Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Not really, just keep pushing. I want people to keep pushing themselves to do bigger and crazier things and show the world that Denver and our queer community is this beautiful place that has so much to offer.

Photos by Brian Degenfelder