By Kippy Marks–
When a candidate campaigns to become a Grand Duke or Grand Duchess, there is always a representation of colors that allows voters to know whom they are voting for. In most cases, candidates will also have a “catchphrase” and a coronation theme for their step-down.
We have taken a look at the last 41 Royal Houses and have gotten to know a little about each of them. Now, I am featuring the remaining Royal Houses, one at a time and each leading us to the current Reigning Monarchs and to the candidates of The Grand Ducal Council’s 50th Reign. Here is a spotlight on the 42nd Royal House:
2014–2015
The 42nd Royal House of the Fiery House of Charm, Candy, and Courage.
Grand Duke XLI TJ Wilkinson: The Majestic Ruby Lion of the Giving Heart.
Colors: red and gold
Symbol: the lion
Always saying: “I do it for the community.”
Grand Duchess XLII Roxy Cotton Candy
Colors: pink and purple
Symbol: Gummy Bear cotton candy
Coronation Theme: Commie-Con
The 42nd Royal House brought a unique flair with anime and commie-con themed events for the Grand Ducal Council. Their core court consisted of:
RCP: David Herrera
RCP: MGM Grand
PR: Peter Griggs
PR: Laundra Tyme
The 42nd Royal House traveled to 9 coronations including those in Las Vegas, Reno, Chico, Sacramento, Modesto, Fresno, Stockton, Alameda, and Corpus Christi, TX. It also did Command Performances for 5 of these Coronations. The Court was awarded the Double Eagle Medal from Queen Mother Nicole The Great. This Royal House’s Pride theme was “Super Heroes Take San Francisco.”
I asked TJ for the San Francisco Bay Times: “Can you tell me why you decided to run and join the Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco?”
TJ replied, “I had been friends with several people who were past Monarchs and part of the court system. I ran for King of Hearts in 2013. I believed in the organization after several years of attending fundraisers.”
“I only had a week to sell tickets and ended up winning with Khmera Rouge,” TJ continued. “We had a fun year of fundraising and I decided to keep going with the energy and support that I had from the community.” (As a side note, Khmera Rouge would go on to become Absolute Empress 50 of the Imperial Court of San Francisco and would reign alongside Emperor XLIII A.N. Kevin Lisle.)
TJ said, “We reigned during San Francisco’s Imperial Court 50th Anniversary, and we were really close to Empress Khmera and Emperor Kevin. The energy, the fundraising, and friendship were amazing, and I am thankful for the special bond I created with them both, as well as with the Emperor of Sacramento, Matthew Bunch, and the Emperor of Fresno, Robert Lujan.”
Grand Duchess Roxy Cotton Candy is the drag daughter of The House of Glitter, which was started by Grand Duchess XXXVI Landa Lakes. Roxy Cotton Candy was crowned Jewel of the Galaxy in a National Pageant in Maui, and was one of the younger Grand Duchesses within the Grand Ducal Council.
During her reign, Roxy worked diligently on including the Pup community into the Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco and created “Best in Show.” Roxy is very artistic and creative, which has led her to own her own drag fashion business, and she regularly showed at Divas of Design, which was held at the San Francisco Design Center until COVID-19 reared its ugly head.
Together with TJ, their Investiture theme was “Wild Kingdom” and this was one of the last events at Balançoire, an LGBTQI-owned businesses that was located in the Mission district. The 42nd Royal House commitment and dedication to the Grand Ducal Council started a trend of raising more money every year thereafter. We will talk more about this trend in the coming issues.
On September 22, 2023, the Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco will celebrate 50 years of Camp and Fundraising. The celebration will take place at the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Please consider becoming a sponsor.
Inquiries: 50thanniversary@sfducal.org
Tickets ($60) are on sale through August 25, 2023, with a hard stop on that final date. We hope to see you at this once-in-a-lifetime historic event!
Kippy Marks is Grand Duke XL of The Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco. He is the first ever elected African-American Grand Duke.
Celebrating 50 Years of the Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco
Published on June 22, 2023
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