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Garland Gravely, also known as Father G. of the House of Expression, was born in 1968 and raised in Roanoke, VA. As one of few Black children in affluent white schools, Garland faced hostility at school, and heavy expectations at home. His strict single mother and grandmother wanted Garland and his five siblings to go to college, be active in the community, and adhere to church teachings.
From a young age, Garland knew “there was no hiding” his queerness, even if he didn’t come out officially until high school. The friends he told accepted him, but his religious mother and grandmother responded harshly. He found pockets of solidarity in Roanoke, particularly from the older female impersonators at The Park, a historic gay bar.
After graduation, he came out to his older sister, who lived in Boston, and she invited him to live with her. After moving in 1987, Garland attended college briefly, but dropped out to work, finding community in a group called Boston Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth (BAGLY). It meant the world to him to meet other gay teens; as a kid, he’d felt like he was “the only one,” and the only gay men he’d seen on TV were “the butt of the joke.” Garland made lifelong friends at BAGLY, but Boston felt almost as segregated as Roanoke. After two years, he moved to Miami.
Garland found community and fashion inspiration in the queer scene in South Beach, but was exhausted after two years by the constant partying. He returned to Virginia to finish college, fulfilling his family’s expectations. Garland’s time in Boston and Miami showed him who he could be outside the confines of Roanoke, and he used that empowerment to study fashion merchandising at VCU in Richmond.
After graduation, he moved to DC, thinking he’d eventually move to New York, but ended up returning to Roanoke in 2004. Garland frames his return to Roanoke after 20 years away as a way to synthesize all his past experiences: the resilience of his Boston era, the hedonism of his time in Miami, the curiosity of studying in Richmond, and the drive from his time in DC. He served as one of the founding board members of the Roanoke Diversity Center, and started a nonprofit, Fashionista Roanoke.
In 1987, Garland’s love of ballroom was ignited when he saw friends vogueing in a Boston club. He followed the legends to New York City in the late ‘80s, where he experienced the Chelsea Piers firsthand on a visit. He was deeply influenced by Junior and Pepper Labeija, whom he saw in Paris is Burning, and he recognized other people in the documentary from his time at the piers. When he saw Pose in 2018, he fell in love with the way the family aspect of ballroom culture fueled its activism. Garland also recognized that Roanoke didn’t currently have a ballroom scene, so he and a friend founded the House of Expression in 2019. The House has grown significantly, throwing their first ball in 2021 with NYC icon Monae Ebony. The House has also advised local police to help them learn how to better serve queer communities and communities of color, and brought in ballroom pioneers from the 70s to teach Virginia Tech students about their lives. Currently, Garland lives in Roanoke, where he’s going back to school to become a teacher, as well as mentoring and growing the artists of the House of Expression. In 2026, he’ll make his runway debut in the Virgin Runway and Best Dressed categories.
