Kriti Mehrotra
While there’s no denying every relationship comes with its own set of challenges, things are unfortunately still a lot harder for those in the LGBT+ community owing to conservative perceptions. This much has actually been evidenced through the saga of Stephanie “Steph” Williams and Rachel “Rae” McCain in season 7 of ‘Queer Eye‘ too, especially with the focus being on the former. So now, if you simply wish to learn more about this couple — their initial connection, their experiences, their issues, as well as their current standing — we’ve got the necessary details for you.
Steph and Rae’s Queer Eye Journey
It was seemingly back around the mid-2010s that Steph’s deep romantic involvement with Rae began, only for them to soon fall head over heels in love and realize they’d finally found “the one.” “Whenever I first met [her], she always wore, like, cute outfits,” the latter heartily reminisced in their particular episode (#2) before adding, “She was super, super confident and happy all the time.” However, the sad truth is she then witnessed her girlfriend turn into a near-empty shell of her once vibrant self owing to people’s strict Southern beliefs leading to a few homophobic incidents.
Though there was one specific matter in 2019 to become Steph’s breaking point as she was made to feel “other” after she’d offered up her seat in a public space to someone just to be kind. “That moment lives with me every single day,” she candidly conceded in the production. “It’s hard to be different and not be able to control you’re different, and then people hate you for it without even getting to know you.” This thus led Rae to reveal, “[Steph is] always worried about what other people think and outward appearances. It’s kind of terrible to watch, but I can only assure her so much.”
These fears as well as insecurities actually got so instilled in Steph following one point that she didn’t even hold her partner’s hand in public or have any of their photos together displayed at home. They’d been living as a couple at her father’s place for nearly four years to save up for their own, but there wasn’t a single trace of them because she didn’t want outsiders to ask any questions. Plus, she also began hiding behind her passion for sports, inadvertently reducing her identity to a mere New Orleans “superfan” with all the merch and memorabilia despite being so much more.
Therefore, once Steph and Rae closed on their dream first home together, the latter nominated her girl for Netflix’s ‘Queer Eye’ in the hopes of them beginning a completely new, happy chapter. And they did — the former honestly did not want to step outside her comfort zone at first but did so anyways because she knew it was crucial to make her relationship with Rae last for good. There was never any doubt in their love, yet other facets were playing a role in their time together, driving her to decide it was high time to make changes for their overall satisfaction in life.
Steph and Rae Are Still Happily Together
“I love [Steph], and I want us to be two old ladies, you know, growing old together,” Rae had said in the series, whereas her sweetheart of six years had admitted, “I get reminded every day that she’s waiting. She’s waiting on that ring. But I just never felt confident she would say yes.” Hence, when the reveal of her makeover came around (in the form of a housewarming party) to have both herself as well as their home perfectly represent everything they stand for, she got down on one knee for Rae right in front of all their loved ones, to which the latter obviously said yes through tears.
It thus comes as no surprise that Steph and Rae are still blissfully engaged, residing in their beautiful shared home in Metairie, New Orleans Metropolitan Area, Louisiana. The truth is it’s unclear whether they already have a date for their wedding or not since neither of them prefers to share much of their personal lives on social media, but their continued involvement is evident.
We should mention that while the former currently serves as a Residential Sales Strategy & Enablement Manager at Cox Communications, a PRIDE Employee Resource Group Ambassador, and a Southeast Region Diversity and Inclusion Community Pillar Lead, her fiance works as a Registered Nurse at University Medical Center New Orleans as well as Ochsner Medical Center.
