A'keria C. Davenport

A'Keria Chanel Davenport (born March 1, 1988)^[1] is the stage name of Gregory D'Wayne,^[2] an American drag queen best known for competing on the eleventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race (2019) and the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (2021). As a professional entertainer, she has won several national titles in drag pageantry systems, including Miss Black Universe in 2017.^[3] Davenport was recognized by Dallas Voice as a Texan of the Year in 2019.^[4]

A'Keria Chanel Davenport
A'Keria C. Davenport in 2019
Born	Gregory D'Wayne (1988-03-01) March 1, 1988 (age 36) Oak Cliff, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Drag queen
Years active	2011–present
Known for	RuPaul's Drag Race (season 11) contestant RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 6) contestant
Website	theonlyakeria.com

Career

2011–2018: Drag beginnings

A'Keria Davenport, 2019

Davenport started participating in drag pageants since 2011. Some of her titles include Miss Unity of America Newcomer 2011, Miss Wessland Newcomer 2012, Miss Diamond of the South Newcomer 2012, Miss International Vogue 2017, and Miss Black Universe 2017.^[5]

2019–present: RuPaul's Drag Race

A'Keria was announced to be one of fifteen contestants competing on season eleven of RuPaul's Drag Race on January 24, 2019.^[6] In episode three, she was involved in the show's first ever six-way lip sync with Honey Davenport, Ra'Jah O'Hara, Plastique Tiara, Scarlet Envy, and Shuga Cain, which she survived.^[7][8] She later lip synced again with Ra'Jah to Sheena Easton's "Strut" in episode seven.^[9] She won two main challenges, in episodes six and nine.^[10][11] She placed 3rd/4th alongside Silky Nutmeg Ganache after losing a lip sync against Yvie Oddly, who would eventually win the season against Brooke Lynn Hytes.^[12][13]

From March 26 to September 6, she was a part of the rotating cast for RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 11 Tour, presented by Voss Events and World of Wonder, and hosted by Asia O'Hara.^[14] The show kicked off in Los Angeles on May 26 during the RuPaul's DragCon LA wrap party (hosted by Drag Race judge Michelle Visage) and concluded with a final bow on September 6 in New York City (also hosted by Visage) at the top of RuPaul’s DragCon NYC.^[14]

A'Keria was in a music video for Lizzo's "Juice" on April 17, 2019.^[15] She portrayed Nicki Minaj in the music video for Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" on June 17, 2019.^[16] On August 26, 2019, Davenport performed alongside Taylor Swift during her 2019 MTV Video Music Awards performance.^[17]

In April 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic, Davenport was announced as a featured cast member for the very first Digital Drag Fest, an online drag festival for all ages, with attendees given opportunities to interact with the artists, tip them, and win prizes during the broadcast.^[18]

On May 26, 2021, it was revealed that A'Keria would be competing in RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 6 along with 12 other contestants, including fellow Season 11 contestants Ra'Jah O'Hara, Scarlet Envy, and Silky Nutmeg Ganache.^[19] After landing in the bottom on episodes 3 and 4, she was later sent home by Kylie Sonique Love on the 6th episode “Rumerican Horror Story: Coven Girls” (a parody of American Horror Story) after placing in the bottom with fellow season 11 contestant Ra’Jah O’Hara.

In August 2021, they were a featured performer and host in Klub Kids London Presents: NOIR: The Tour, where 25% of the proceeds from the production were donated to the Black Lives Matter movement.^[20]

Personal life

A'Keria Chanel Davenport at RuPaul's DragCon LA 2022

A'Keria C. Davenport is a member of the Drag Haus of Davenport, with Drag Race alum Kennedy Davenport, Sahara Davenport, Monét X Change, Honey Davenport and Ra'Jah O'Hara.^[21] Her drag mom is Armani Nicole Davenport.^[22] D'Wayne was living in Dallas before being accepted on Drag Race.^[23] After Drag Race, D'Wayne moved to Katy.^[24] He has stated that he plans to create a skincare line as well as start a charity that will provide support for transgender women and homosexual youth.^[25]

D'Wayne spent almost a year of his life as a woman, until he realized he identified as a man.^[26] He opened up about this experience on the fifth episode of the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, saying: "It took me to go through that experience to not only find myself but to know who I truly was and wanted to be to know I was enough... I faced the same obstacles most trans people ([especially] those of color) and that's why I will now and forever advocate and dedicate everything in me to protect them!"^[27]

Davenport went to David W Carter High School in Wolf Creek, Texas and grew up in Oak Cliff, Texas

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref
2019	RuPaul's Drag Race	Herself	Contestant (3rd/4th Place)	[6]
	RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked
2021	RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 6)		Contestant (8th Place)	[28]
	RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars: Untucked (season 3)

Music videos

Year	Title	Artist	Ref
2019	"Juice"	Lizzo	[15]
	"You Need to Calm Down"	Taylor Swift	[16]

Web series

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref
2019	Queen to Queen	Herself	With Vanessa Mateo and Silky Nutmeg Ganache	[29]
	Queen's Court		Guest	[30]
	Countdown to the Crown		Season 11	[31]
	Whatcha Packin'		Guest	[32]
	Cosmo Queens		Cosmopolitan Series	[33]
	Ca$tmate$ for Ca$h		Guest, with Brooke Lynn Hytes	[34]
2021	Reality Check		Guest	[35]
	Pageant Pod		Podcast; guest	[36]
	Whatcha Packin'		Guest	[37]
	Ruvealing the Look		Guest	[38]
	Drag Us Weekly		Guest	[39]
2022	The Pit Stop		Guest	[40]

Discography

Featured singles

Title	Year	Album
"Queens Everywhere – Cast Version"[41] (RuPaul featuring Akeria C. Davenport, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Silky Nutmeg Ganache, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, & Yvie Oddly)	2019	Non-album single

Awards and nominations

Year	Award Giving Body	Category	Work	Results	Ref.
2019	MTV Video Music Awards	Video of the Year	Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down"	Won	[42]

References

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4. Arnold (December 6, 2019). "Texans of the Year: Queer locals". Dallas Voice. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
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30. Drag Race: A'Keria C. Davenport Dishes on Vanjie and Brooke Lynn's Relationship. YouTube. April 1, 2019. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
31. "Impressions" COUNTDOWN TO THE CROWN: RuPaul's Drag Race Season 11. YouTube. May 21, 2019. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
32. Whatcha Packin': A'Keria C. Davenport | Season 11 Top Four | RuPaul's Drag Race. YouTube. May 27, 2019. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
33. A'keria Chanel Davenport Is The Master of Colorful Eyeshadow | Cosmo Queens. YouTube. June 30, 2019. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
34. CA$TMATE$ FOR CA$H: Brooke Lynn Hytes and A'Keria C. Davenport. YouTube. August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
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36. Hecht, Evan (October 28, 2021). "Seven drag artist podcasts you need to check out". DBK News. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
37. Whatcha Packin' | AS6 E06 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. YouTube. July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
38. A'Keria C. Davenport's Glamorous Goth Look 💋 Ruvealing the Look | RuPaul's Drag Race AS6. YouTube. July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
39. RuPaul's Drag Race All Star Akeria C. Davenport Names Herself 'Runway Queen' Of Season 6. Us Weekly. July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
40. The Pit Stop S14 E13 | Monét X Change & A'Keria C. Davenport Fire It Up | RuPaul's Drag Race. RuPaul's Drag Race. April 2, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
41. "Queens Everywhere (Cast Version) [feat. The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 11] - Single". iTunes. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
42. Bate, Ellie (August 27, 2019). "Taylor Swift Refused To Perform At The VMAs Unless MTV Gave All The Drag Queens In Her Video Awards Too". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.

External links

• Media related to A'Keria Chanel Davenport at Wikimedia Commons