GRANDMOTHER MARTHA GORGEOUS GUCCI | HOUSE VOICES | FACES OF BALLROOM

GRANDMOTHER MARTHA GORGEOUS GUCCI | HOUSE VOICES | FACES OF BALLROOM Martha Gorgeous Gucci has spent years creating space for community — and she still knows how to make an entrance. Warm, quick-witted, stylish, and deeply committed to people, Martha’s relationship with Los Angeles Ballroom extends far beyond Best Dressed. As a former Executive Director of REACH LA, Martha helped connect LGBTQ+ communities of color with health education, HIV/AIDS prevention, advocacy, and opportunity. She also helped found Ovahness, which became an important gathering place for West Coast Ballroom, leadership, wellness, and community empowerment. Today, as Grandmother Martha Gorgeous Gucci, she brings that same spirit into the Iconic House of Gorgeous Gucci — along with a fashion point of view that has earned her Best Dressed grand-prize wins. But Martha’s story is also about friendship. At The Icon Devine West Coast Awards Ball: Slay for the Fathers, we had the privilege of capturing Martha speaking about her dear friend Icon Mother Devine Chanel — the woman whose name and legacy the evening carried. Mother Devine was a Mother, mentor, organizer, Ballroom leader, and HIV/AIDS advocate who turned care into action for the Los Angeles community. Rest in power, Mother Devine Chanel. You are loved, remembered, and deeply missed. We are grateful Martha trusted us with this memory of her friend — and with her own remarkable story of advocacy, fashion, family, and community. Full House Voices interview coming soon. Stay tuned to Faces of Ballroom. Special recognition to Icon Mother Devine Chanel — a beloved Mother, mentor, advocate, and pillar of West Coast Ballroom whose love and leadership continue to be felt throughout Los Angeles. Special thanks to @jgarcon, @ovahnessballarchive1426, @sugarchampagne, @mutharichmond, @fattymb, @brbtv, @blicktelevision, @houselivesmatter, Icon Devine on Facebook, Rye8 Productions Inc., and @BallroomThrowbacksTV for the footage and archival material that helped deepen this story. Extra gratitude to Jay Garçon for documenting the West Coast Awards Ball with such care, and to Ceasar Williams / @BallroomThrowbacksTV for his lasting commitment to preserving Ballroom history for future generations. When the ball ends, the story continues.    / @facesofballroom   https://linktr.ee/touchingcorners #FacesOfBallroom #HouseVoices #MarthaGorgeousGucci #MotherDevineChanel #GorgeousGucci #WestCoastBallroom #BallroomCulture #BallroomLegacy