Paul & Kevin
Paul (left) and Kevin (right). Credit: Michael Simon Photography
The day after their wedding, Paul Brockwell and Kevin Corn gathered friends and family for a Richmond tradition - drag brunch at Godfrey’s.
For some, it was the first drag brunch for many of their family. “My dad became a hit with both the queens and my close friends who were delightfully surprised that a blue-collar guy from a rural area would play along so well with the performers,” Paul said. “He ended up with a huge lipstick print on his forehead courtesy of an admiring queen, and enthusiastically tipped the performers throughout breakfast.”
To these two, the definition of a family has expanded over the course of their lives together to include more than just blood relatives. It’s expanded to the people who love and lift when you need it the most. They've also found community at a life affirming church. But it’s not always easy.
“Somewhere, I think the word family is also rooted in struggle,” Paul said. “There's no place on the earth where a handful of individuals have gathered and not had some issues getting along.”
The two love that Richmond’s a small town where you can run into friends without plans and catch up. When the couple was having their engagement photo shoot last year at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, another couple passing by offered to buy them congratulatory beers.
It was also the VMFA where the couple had their third date and first kiss. “Life goals include becoming ladies who lunch there on weekdays in retirement,” Paul jokes.