Born in France, in a not too glamorous Army hospital, The Lovely Suzanne has lived all over the United States and moved to the Northwest in 1971. As a waitress at the legendary Quality Pie Restaurant, Suzanne became a camp fixture in the diner drag scene. Suzanne was publisher of the underground magazine “The Art Rag”, which featured irreverent viewpoints of the most diverse facets of the art, rock, and gay community.  She quietly supported the gay community while struggling to open her own restaurant, The Blah Blah Café in 1993, and later, in 1994, The Roxy.

Suzanne attended her first Rose Court Coronation in the seventies. In the mid 90's she became directly involved with the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court, supporting and sponsoring various fundraising events.  Suzanne received her first invested title from Rose Empress XXXVIII, Misha Rockafeller, and later was given the title of First Lady to the Rose Emperor XXIII, Kimberlee Van Patten.  This was heady business for a girl who should have been an “outsider”.  But her heart belonged in the gay community, as it had since she was a teenager, and she continued her involvement with the Rose Court.
           
Suzanne earned her first permanent title of Miss Sweetheart of Portland in 1997.  It started as a small bar title, but Suzanne, along with a determined group of board members, built it to be stronger, until the Sweethearts obtained 501c3 status in 2004.  She has served for years as Treasurer and is proud that many of the Mr. & Miss Sweetheart go on to become Monarchs in the Rose Court.  After years of involvement for GLBT fund-raising activities, she was awarded the prestigious Sanford B. Director Award for Citizen of the Year. As a member of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Suzanne, along with her entire staff, participated in “2008 Get out the Vote”, registering almost a hundred new voters in the diner alone.  She is also a dues paying member of GLAAD and LAMBDA.

Susanne expected to remain in the chorus of this dazzling world, considering herself lucky to be on that stage at all.  This all changed when Empress Nicole the Great asked why she wasn’t an Empress.  Suzanne knew there would be controversy for a "straight" woman to run for Empress.  But Nicole convinced her to be an example of the gay community being as accepting of others as they demanded to be for themselves.
Suzanne started out being motivated to be the Token Straight Girl, and along the way, her confidence grew, along with her ability to paint her face and enlarge her hair.

In 2000, The Lovely Suzanne was elected Rose Empress XLIII. The Diversity of the Rose still remains a record breaking reign, both in fund-raising and ball attendance.  In 2001 Suzanne was awarded U.S. Congressional Recognition for Service to the Community.  She is also honored to hold Citizen for Life, Queen Mother, and Honorary Empress titles in dozens of realms, and still travels frequently to MC Coronation balls in the US and Canada.  Her pet charities include the Tijuana AIDS hospice and clinic, the Portland scholarships, and always the youth.  For twelve years, with the help of the New York Court, Suzanne holds a Drag Giveaway and Show for underage kids during Coronation weekend.  She sponsors at least one table for the youth to attend Coronation in the hopes of inspiring them with our best foot forward.

In 2003, Suzanne was elevated to the position of Heir Apparent to Empress I Jose and served on the International Court Council, and was part of the planning committee of the 40th Anniversary Court Conference in Palm Springs.  Suzanne was humbly honored to be part of the ICC’s Renaissance Era under Empress Nicole the Great. Suzanne regretfully resigned from the Council in 2009 to care for her ailing mother and special needs grandson, and recently returned to service. She is dedicated to mentoring the GLBT youth and believes in the concept of Diversity with all her heart.