Born and raised in Miami, TP Lords started performing at 16 in the ballroom scene, where groups called houses compete for trophies, bragging rights and sometimes cash. That’s where she found her stage name. Lords came from the House of Lords, and TP was a nickname the house gave her for the range of talents she brought to the floor. It stands for Total Package.
Ballroom opened the door to nightclub work. Lords began performing professionally at 19 and has spent 23 years in the business, according to a biography she shared by text. Along the way, she won titles including Miss Florida at Large, Miss Latina World, Ultimate Miami Drag Queen and Miss Miami Beach Gay Pride.
Music and fashion inspire her work. What she loves about drag, she said in the text, is the freedom to express herself without having to follow a set of rules.
In an earlier story about a Pride Month dance party she was set to host at Respectable Street, Lords recalled performing outdoors at Hullabaloo when Clematis Street was closed to traffic after the pandemic. The performances eventually moved inside, which suited her just fine.
“Now we perform inside, but I prefer to be inside anyway, because it’s South Florida and the heat is not forgiving on drag shows,” Lords said in that interview.
Her work has also taken her to Florida Atlantic University. From 2021 through 2024, Lords performed in FAU’s drag show alongside Rianna Petrone, Velvet Lenore, Kat Wilderness and Ariel Rimm.
The OutFAU Drag Show returns Friday, Nov. 20, at the Carole and Barry Kaye Auditorium on FAU’s Boca Raton campus. General admission is $10, FAU students can reserve free tickets, and the show is open to adults 18 and older.
