Beauty Pageants and the LGBTQ Community
Beauty pageants in the LGBTQ community have a history in local communities around the world. These have now grown to include global pageants such as Miss Universe and Mr. Gay World. An interesting aspect of LGBTQ pageants is their embrace of gender diversity. The greater acceptance of the LGBTQ community into the mainstream may negate the need for gender-specific competitions in the future.
Surprisingly, female beauty pageants have been at the forefront of public exposure to LGBTQ issues recently and include those impacting the transgender community. There is a long history of transgender and transsexual activity in theatre and cabaret as a legitimate form of entertainment and this has spread to the realm of the formal beauty pageant. A Canadian model and actor, transgender Jenna Talackova fought a ruling that prohibited her from competing in the Miss Universe Canada beauty pageant and won her case. This set new rules for transgender acceptance and rights in such global competitions. Transgender business woman Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip of Thailand is the owner of the Miss Universe global franchise.
Male beauty contests in the past were dominated by body-building competitions. Today, they also consist of more traditional country pageants and specific LGBTQ pageants such as Mr. Gay International, Mr. Gay World, and more.
There is wide representation of the LGBTQ community in Beauty Pageants in developing and Asian countries. Countries as diverse as Mongolia and Namibia hold annual beauty pageants for the LGBTQ community.
Argentina
- Carlos Melia, contestant; Mr. Gay Argentina 2007 and Mr. Gay International 2008
Australia
- Jordan Bruno, contestant; Mr. Gay World 2018
- Maria Thattil, contestant; Miss Universe Australia 2020
Canada
- Dean Nelson, co-founder of Mr Gay World and Founder of Mr. Gay Canada.
- Jenna Talackova, contestant
- Christepher Wee, contestant; Mr. Gay Canada 2014
China
- Meng Fanyu, contestant; Mr. Gay China 2016
Denmark
- Niels Jansen, contestant; Mr. Gay Denmark 2018
France
- Matthieu Charneau, contestant; Mr. Gay France 2011
'Germany
- Andreas Derleth, contestant; Mr. Gay World 2012
Great Britain
- Carl Austin, contestant; Mr. Gay UK 2001
India
- Nolan Lewis, contestant; Mr. Gay India 2013
- Padmini Prakash, contestant
- Suresh Ramdas, contestant; Mr. Gay World India 2019
- Anwesh Sahoo, contestant; Mr. Gay World India 2016
Mongolia
- Solongo Batsukh, contestant
Namibia
- Ricardo Amunjera, contestant; Mr. Gay Namibia 2013
- Wendelinus Hamutenya, contestant; Mr. Gay Namibia 2011
Spain
- Angela Ponce, contestant; Miss Universe Spain 2023
- Daniel Rodriguez, contestant; Mr. Spain 2016
- Patricia Jurenez Rodriguez, contestant; Miss Spain 2008 and 2013
Thailand
- Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, owner of the Miss Universe global franchise
- Yollada Suanyot, contestant
The Netherlands
- Rikkie Valerie Kolle, contestant; Miss Netherlands 2023
The Philippines
- Michelle Dee, contestant; Miss Universe Philippines 2023
Russia
- Yulia Lemigova, contestant
United States
- Chris Dickerson, contestant; Mr. Olympia and Mr. America
- Moj Mahdara, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Beautycon Media, a global beauty festival
- Bob Jackson - Paris, contestant; Mr. Universe 1983
- Jim Morris, contestant; Mr. Olympia and Mr. International
- Eddie Rabon, contestant, Mr. Gay USA
- Santino Rice, judge - Miss Universe pageant
- Sid Spencer, contestant