Precious Davis is having a moment: last year she got engaged to fiance Myles Brady and to start 2016, the trans professional, activist and performer appears on TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta" on Friday, Jan. 15.
"It was a dream come true," said Davis. "Everyone was so comforting.The entire experience of filming it was everything that I thought it would be."
Davis said she and Brady fielded offers from other shows looking to tell their love story, and found TLC to be the most authentic platform. "Other reality series wanted to come in and objectify us, or create a storyline that wasn't there," Davis said. "And our integrity is most important to us, the authenticity of our story and what we represent."
Host Monte Durham gushed over Davis's personality, comparing her to champagne. "She has such a strong voice and presence, and she was just gracious. We had a ball with her, " Durham said.
The feeling was mutual. "Monte became like a little fairy godmother to me and just was such a great guide in a way that I never thought would happen." Davis said. "We really clicked."
Initially, Davis, being used to dressing up, had ideas about what she would want. "I thought I was just looking for a dress, and what I didn't realize is that I was looking for a very specific kind of dress," she remembered. "I wasn't just looking for a dress. I was looking for a wedding dress. And I didn't realize what a wedding dress looks like, and what it feels like when you put it on. That was a surprise for me."
Both Davis and Durham were fully aware of the powerful nature of Precious's appearance. "I think that love comes in many packages, and it's beyond the continuum of the binary gender in itself," Davis remarked. "You have these stereotypical notions of what a relationship looks like, and I think Myles and I really redefine that in a different package."
"The average life expectancy of a trans woman in the United States is less than 30 years old. I just turned 30 this year and I'll be getting married," Davis continued. "I think that we represent hope and light. We are another narrative, to show that love is possible and that we are trans people. We have hopes, we have dreams, we want to be loved dearly, and we want our lives to have meaning."
She also felt the episode would show the importance of chosen family. Two close gay male friends who supported her during her transition appear in the show and will be men of honor at the wedding. "We're supporting each other across the lenses of identity," Davis said of their appearance. "I come from a tumultuous family experience, and not having my birth family but my chosen family stand in was a really powerful moment for me."
"No matter who you are, to stand up on that runway and be judged by your peers finding your perfect dress takes a lot of courage," Durham said. "Every bride goes through that. I think any time you can show anyone of any gender and sexual [orientation] in a positive light, it helps the community."
Durham, an out gay man, recalled his own commitment ceremony in 1992 and feels lucky to witness marriage equality. "It's like when you have children and you say, 'look at how I raised my daughter, look at her, there she is.' I'm like a proud daddy! It's just incredible to see this unfold in my lifetime and how lucky am I to see and experience and work for a company that not only embraces it but shares it, and that is rare," he said.
And as for the dress? No spoilers, but Durham said it's custom-designed by wedding dress maven Lazaro, and Davis called it fit for a queen. "Myles and I view ourselves as he the king and I the queen: a royal woman, a distinguished woman, a woman of power," she said. "[The dress] is, indeed, royal."
