Drag pageantry

Year	Winner	Title Representing	City of Residency	Crowning Venue	City	Other Notes
1973	Norma Kristie	Miss Gay Arkansas	Hot Springs, AR	Watch Your Hat & Coat Saloon	Nashville, TN	Retired
1974	Lady Baronessa*	Miss Gay Illinois	Chicago, IL	The Glass Menagery Nightclub	Nashville, TN	Deceased 1992
1975	Shawn Luis	?	Chicago, IL	Atlanta Americana Hotel Ballroom	Atlanta, GA	Retired
1976	Shan Covington	?	Dallas, TX	The Depository Nightclub	Houston, TX	Decrowned** / Deceased
1976	Dani Daletto	Miss Gay Michigan	Detroit, MI	Vapors Nightclub	Hot Springs, AR	Deceased 1989
1977	Michael Andrews	?	Houston, TX	The Old Plantation Nightclub	Houston, TX	Deceased
1978	Jimi Dee	Miss Gay South	Dallas, TX	Machinist's Hall	St. Louis, MO	Deceased
1979	Rachel Wells	1st Alt., Miss Gay South	Atlanta, GA	Fox Theater	Dallas, TX	Retired
1980	Hot Chocolate	Miss Gay East Coast	Houston, TX	Atlanta Convention Center	Atlanta, GA	Las Vegas Headliner
1981	Lady Shawn	Miss Gay East Coast	Dallas, TX	Masonic Temple	Detroit, MI	Deceased
1982	Jennifer Foxx	Miss Gay North	Detroit, MI	Dallas Convention Center	Dallas, TX
1983	Francesca Wakeland	?	Johnson City, TN	Ovens Auditorium	Charlotte, NC	Retired
1984	Tasha Kohl	Miss Gay Mid-America	Ft. Worth, TX	Oklahoma City Convention Center	Oklahoma City, OK	Retired
1985	Naomi Sims	Miss Gay Tri-States	Houston, TX	Dallas Convention Center	Dallas, TX	Deceased 1992
1986	Lauren Colby	1st Alt., Miss Gay North Carolina	Wilmington, NC	Indianapolis Convention Center	Indianapolis, IN	~
1987	Blaze Starr	Miss Gay Tri-States	Atlanta, GA	Dallas Convention Center	Dallas, XT	Retired
1988	Cherry Lane	Miss Gay Tri-States	Little Rock, AR	Fox Theater	Atlanta, GA	Retired
1989	Vicki Vincent	Miss Gay Mid-Atlantic	St. Louis, MO	Dallas Convention Center	Dallas, TX	~
1990	Brandi Alexander	?	Baton Rouge, LA	Dallas Convention Center	Dallas, TX	Retired
1991	Valerie Lohr	1st Alt., Miss Gay South	Dallas, TX	Dallas Convention Center	Dallas, TX	~
1992	Tiffany Bone't	Miss Gay Mid-Atlantic	Winston-Salem, NC	Majestic Theater	Dallas, TX	~
1993	Leslie Rage	Miss Gay Mid-East	Baldwin, NY	Majestic Theater	Dallas, TX	Deceased
1994	Jacqulyn DeVaroe	?	Norman, OK	Majestic Theater	Dallas, TX	Retired
1995	Ramona LeGer'	Miss Gay Mid-East	Independence, LA	Majestic Theater	Dallas, TX	Deceased***
1995	Patti Le Plae Safe	Miss Gay Gulf States	Dallas, TX	Robinson Center Music Auditorium	Little Rock, AR	~
1996	Kerri Nichols	Miss Gay Mid-America	Charlotte, NC	Robinson Center Music Auditorium	Little Rock, AR	~
1997	Lauren Taylor	Miss Gay Texas	Austin, TX	Ovens Auditorium	Charlotte, NC	Retired
1998	Maya Montana	Miss Gay Virginia	Falls Church, VA	Ovens Auditorium	Charlotte, NC	~
1999	Linda Carrero	Miss Gay Mid-Atlantic	Silver Springs, MD	Athena Theater	Little Rock, AR	~
2000	Catia Lee Love	Miss Gay Mid-America	Tulsa, OK	Athena Theater	Little Rock, AR	~
2001	Charity Case	Miss Gay Central States	Dallas, TX	Athena Theater	Little Rock, AR	~
2002	Sabrina White	Miss Gay Mid-Atlantic	Baltimore, MD	Dallas Convention Center	Dallas, TX	~
2003	Dominique Sanchez	Miss Gay Mid-America	Little Rock, AR	?	?	~
2004	Rachael Erikks	Miss Gay Heart of America	Oklahoma City, OK	?	?	~
2005	Raquel Chevalie'r	Miss Gay Tri-States	New Orleans, LA	?	?	~
2006	Nicole DuBois	Miss Gay Mid-America	Gulfport, MS	Cannon Center	Memphis, TN	~
2007	Luscious	Miss Gay Western States	Columbia, SC	Cannon Center	Memphis, TN	~
2008	Mikaila Kay	1st Alt., Miss Gay Western States	Phoenix, AZ	Holiday Inn Select Airport Grand Ballroom	Memphis, TN	~
2009	Victoria DePaula	Miss Gay District of Columbia (D.C.)	Kansas City, MO	Millennium Hotel Grand Ballroom	St. Louis, MO	~
2010	Alyssa Edwards	1st Alt., Miss Gay Heartland	Mesquite, TX	Millennium Hotel Grand Ballroom	St. Louis, MO	Decrowned****
2010	Coco Montrese	Miss Gay Heart of America	St. Petersburg, FL	The Grey Fox Nightclub	St. Louis, MO	~
2011	Coti Collins	Miss Gay District of Columbia (D.C.)	Raleigh, NC	Lifestyles Pavilion Auditorium	Columbus, OH
2012	Kirby Kolby	Miss Gay District of Columbia (D.C.)	Raleigh, NC	The Capitol Theatre at the Riffe Center	Columbus, OH	Current

• (*)Lady Baronessa's full name was "The Lady Baroness Maria Andrea del Santiago."
• (**)Shan Covington had his crown removed for conduct unbecoming a Miss Gay America. The title was offered to first alternate Michael Andrews, who passed it up because he wanted to come back & win it. It then went to the second alternate, Dani Daletto. Dani was crowned in a special ceremony at the 1976 Miss Gay South Pageant held at Vapors Nightclub in Hot Springs, AR.
• (***)Ramona LeGer' died 5 months into his reign. First alternate Patti Le Plae Safe opted not to be crowned or wear the crown during his 'reign'. He was the Official Miss Gay America Representative, until the night of the 1996 Miss Gay America Pageant, at which he was finally crowned the Official Miss Gay America 1995 in a special ceremony.
• (****)Alyssa had his crown removed due to scheduling conflicts with previous engagements & his Miss Gay America duties. The title went to first alternate Coco Montrese, who was crowned in a special ceremony at The Grey Fox Nightclub in St. Louis, MO.
• Coti Collins is the longest-competing Miss Gay America winner. His first appearance at Miss Gay America was in 1988.

Miss Continental U.S.A.

As MGA grew in popularity, many professional female impersonators found they were unable to compete in the pageant due to its prohibition against the use of hormones, silicone injections (below the neck), and/or breast implants. Aside from the prestige of holding a national title, the MGA crown afforded the winner guaranteed show bookings at every state preliminary held during the title year. For the winner, the MGA crown turned what was often local, part-time work into a full time job. As many transsexual and trans-gender performers used drag shows as a source of income, it was only natural that a pageantry system would evolve to meet their needs.

In 1980, Chicago nightclub promoter Jim Flint, owner of the Baton Show Lounge, filled this void with the creation of the Miss Continental U.S.A. Pageant. Contestants were scored in interview, swim wear, talent, and evening gown; for the finalists, an on stage question. The first Miss Continental was Chili Pepper, who has never had implants. Chili, the first Miss Continental represents female impersonation in its truest form. The Continental Pageantry System became renowned for its "titty girls," or pre-operative transsexual contestants.

List of Former Miss Continental Titleholders:

(All winners were crowned in Chicago, IL)

• 1980 - Chili Pepper
• 1981 - Heather Fontaine
• 1982 - Tiffany Ariegus
• 1983 - Chena Black
• 1984 - Cherene Alexander
• 1985 - Maya Douglas
• 1986 - Tandi Andrews
• 1987 - Dana Douglas
• 1988 - Kelly Lauren
• 1989 - Lakesha Lucky
• 1990 - Chanel Dupree
• 1991 - Amber Richards
• 1992 - Mimi Marks
• 1993 - Monica Monroe
• 1994 - Cezanne
• 1995 - Lady Cateria
• 1996 - Paris Frantz
• 1997 - Tasha Long
• 1998 - Michelle Dupree
• 1999 - Tommie Ross
• 2000 - Danielle Hunter
• 2001 - Candis Cayne
• 2002 - Yoshiko Oshiro
• 2003 - Erika Norell
• 2004 - Erica Andrews
• 2005 - Domanique Shappelle
• 2006 - Victoria LePaige
• 2007 - Necole Luv Dupree
• 2008 - Tulsi
• 2009 - Armani
• 2010 - Mokha Montrese
• 2011 - Alexis Gabrielle Sherrington

USA Unlimited

North Carolina USA Unlimited, under the direction of President and CEO Jeff Reeves (aka former Miss Gay USA at Large Nancy Newton), has been one of the nation’s premier male entertainer contest outlets. Giving an outlet for both male entertainers of all types and male impersonators for 20 years, USA Unlimited has broadened the horizons for many entertainers, recently adding female competitions to the line up in 2011. For many years, these types of contests were not a popular as the female impersonator pageants, but a recent boom in attendance and talented individuals have given a surge in popularity to these events. Annually holding in addition to the Mr. Unlimited contest, USA Unlimited also presents:
– Mr. Unlimited
– Mr. Unlimited Bear
- Mr. Unlimited Cub
– Mr. Unlimited FMI – Must be female
– Miss Unlimited – For female impersonators
– Mr. & Miss. Unlimited @ Large – Must weight a minimum of 200 lbs
– Mr. & Miss Classique- Must be at least 35 years of age
- Miss. Unlimited Lipstick- must be female

The USA Unlimited Family is a closely knit group of people from across the country who shares a single goal. That is giving male and female entertainers the opportunity to perform and be recognized for the entertainment qualities they possess.

Current National Title Holders:

Mr. Unlimited 2011- Cielo Whitney

Miss. Unlimited 2011- Raven Wood

Mr. Unlimited Cub 2011- Chip Matthews

Mr. Unlimited Bear 2011- Stone Parque

Mr. Unlimited FMI 2011- Maccon Haze

Mr. Unlimited @ Large 2011- Jerry Trollinger

Miss. Unlimited @ Large 2011- Ivy White

Mr. Unlimited Classique 2011- Jemar

Miss. Unlimited Classique 2011- Erica Martinez

Miss. Unlimited Lipstick 2011- Miss Amy

Miss. Unlimited Newcomer 2011- Reina Michaels-Parque

Mr. Unlimited Newcomer 2011- Trey Love

www.usaunlimited.org

Miss Gay USofA

Houston, Texas based MGA promoter Jerry Bird purchased the bankrupt Miss Gay USA pageant from former MGA Jimi Dee in 1985. (Fairfield, Carrie. "Interview with Jerry Bird". http://www.carriefairfield.com/community/index.php?showtopic=14619. Retrieved 2006-08-17. ) Within a few years he took the pageant from a small twelve contestant affair to a national showcase with over eighty participants. In 1986, the first Miss Gay USA Naomi Sims crowned Michael Andrews. In the mid-1990s the pageant was re-named Miss Gay USofA after complaints and legal threats from the owner of Miss USA, Donald Trump, who placed a cease and desist order until verbiage could be agreed upon that allowed for both competitions to continue without confusion or discrimination.

There have been a wide range of contestants in the Miss USofA System, and it is interesting to note that many USofA titleholders also count the Miss Gay America crown as accomplishments in female impersonation. These include:

Naomi Sims, Miss Gay USA 1979 (Miss Gay America 1985); Michael Andrews, Miss Gay USA 1986 (Miss Gay America 1977); Jacquelyn DeVaroe, Miss Gay USofA 1997 (Miss Gay America 1994); Lauren Taylor, Miss Gay USofA 1998 (Miss Gay America 1997); Alyssa Edwards, Miss Gay USofA 2006 (Miss Gay America 2010, though she was stripped of the title a few short months after winning the crown); Dominique Sanchez, Miss Gay USofA 2010 (Miss Gay America 2003); and, Luscious, Miss Gay USofA 2011 (Miss Gay America 2007).

List of Miss Gay USA and Miss Gay USofA Titleholders

The following is the list of the winners of the Miss Gay U.S.A. Pageant—then a complete change of ownership—Miss Gay USA winners 1986 through 1994 and Miss Gay USofA winners from 1995 through 2010:^[2]

During the 1990s, the range and variety of drag pageantry continued to expand; however the "big three" pageant systems still dominated the market. New competitions with new requirements brought a wider variety of performers to drag pageantry. Contests for plus-sized, mature and African American female impersonators became popular. Today, drag pageants like Miss Gay USofA at Large, Miss Gay USofA Classic, Miss Continental Plus , Miss Continental Elite, and Miss Gay Black USofA demonstrate the expansion of both the USofA and Continental franchises.

As with most pageantry systems, drag pageants have been rocked with scandals over the years. Accusations of rigged contests, biased judging, and power struggles between local and national promoters resulted in the spin off of dozens of national female impersonation contests.

Don't H8 National Pageantry System

YEAR	KING	QUEEN	MR.	MISS	DIVA	MI	TEEN	LIL MISS	Lil MR.
2010			Chip Matthews	Monica Jefferies	Derrick Barry
2011	Jason Dottley	Kimberly Caldwell	Stone Parque	Barbara Maberry	Felicity Ferraro		Travis Stancil	Aubrie Jayde	Logan H
2012			1-15-12	2-5-12	2-19-12		8-15-12	3-1-12	3-1-12

• Pagentry system is Nationally known and open to ALL contact Chip Matthews on Facebook for details
• Kimberly Caldwell from American Idol accepted the honor and "Queen" title is forever and never changes hands
• Jason Dottley from TV show Sordid Lives and Billboard Recording artist accepted King crown and it remains a forever title as well.

• Welcome to the Don’t H8 National Pageantry System© and the team of Don’t H8©. We embark on the journey of a life time, LET THE MAGIC BEGIN. Let’s begin by adding a new addition to the Don’t H8© group. Mr. Don’t H8© will be held January 15th 2012, Miss Don’t H8© will be held on February 5th 2012, as Miss Don’t H8 DIVA© will be held on February 19th 2012, Ultimate Teen of Don’t H8© on AUGUST 2012, and last Lil Mr. & Miss Don’t H8© will be held on January 1st- April 30th 2012 (online).

I would like to personally thank the organization and all the people that helped us develop the system. Out N Proud Productions for the generous donations and SJ Photography for the photographs, as well as, Club CO2 and all the hard work they have placed into our organization. We would like to thank King of Don’t H8© Jason Dottley and Queen of Don’t H8© Kimberly Caldwell for their time, work, and dedication. Thank you to Jeff Reeves and the Unlimited System for assisting in helping and guiding us into the right direction.

• Don’t H8© Categories

Interview Competition (All) The judges’ panel will interview each contestant individually for five (5) minutes. The purpose of interview with the Don’t H8© system is to allow the judges some perception into the character of each contestant. During the interview process the judges are allowed the opportunity to learn each contestant’s on a more intimate basis. Interview is intended to remain professional and consistent during the entire process. The judges will notice the contestants being clean, neat, and well spoken. INTERVIEW IS 30 POINTS

• Interview will be decided by: eye contact, honest answers, posture, and overall appearance

Tips: • Remember to shake each judge’s hand upon entering the interview process and at the end of the interview as well. • Have a seat when told • Interview will be (5) minutes long, introduce yourself when asked keep it to the important facts about you. Answer all questions honestly and explain your purpose to help achieve equality for all. • Leave chair where asked to be seated, judges like personal space. • Speak clearly and remember to remain consistent with eye contact, not just with the judge asking the questions. • Understand and know what your goals with the title are and what you plan to accomplish. • Dress professionally and remain clean, make sure all clothing fits and the make-up is not over done because you will be close to the judges. (You may interview as man or women per Division you are competing in) • PRACTICE!! Make sure you are aware • Know the history of division you are competing in. (Located on Welcome page)

Evening Gown Competition (Miss/DIVA/Teen) Evening gown is the most elegant of the entire competition. The modeling should be slower and the judges should be able to see the dress as you present yourself to them. The gown can be any style, color, texture, but must be full-length. Hair and accessories should be complement to the presentation of the evening gown. The gown should be wrinkle free; no strings attached, and zero make-up stains. Overall gown presentation, fit, length, color, style, make-up, hair, and accessories will factor into the winner. The modeling and stage presence will be major game players in the decision for the winner. EVENING GOWN IS 20 POINTS Evening gown will be comparative and each contestant will model individually and brought back out for a group presentation in the gown. TIPS: • Understand all categories and contact the current title holder and ask for additional information. • Review all information presented • Wear appropriate hair, “in an up due,” for presentation of the gown.

Formal Wear (Mr./MI/Teen) This is a category that allows the male to learn the elegance aspect as well as the females. The male contestants are asked to rent, buy, borrow, or use a tuxedo. The judges will be basing their votes on the color and the way tux fits your body, presentation you do of the tuxedo, and the way the tuxedo fits your body is the most important. 20 POINTS

Tips: • Accessories are good, don’t over the top anything • Fit you well, stage presence and modeling • Clean and neat • Sleeves and pants fit • Find a color that works for you. • SMILE • STANDARD TUX, ETC (NO RHINESTONES, ETC) • Make sure its what you want and feel comfortable with

Judging is going to be based on the fit of the of the tuxedo to you and the colors of the tie, vest, cummerbund, etc .

Talent Competition (All)

Talent can be any type of presentation, as long as it does not create danger to the contestant or any other person. Talents are limited to FIVE minutes in length (if you exceed 5 minutes will be stopped and administrative points will be deducted) There are no restrictions to the number of people involved in the talent. Music must be recorded as TRACK #1 on the cd. Try to make sure the only songs on the cd is your talent and possible crowning numbers. Music must be turned in at the time of drawing numbers. All music will be check for length of song. Bring a back-up copy of the cd. Props are allowed and must be brought up and removed when contestant leaves and enters stage. You have 1 minute set up and 1 minute tear down. Nothing longer.

• Entertainment Value, Overall Quality • Lip Sync, Live Presentation, Stage Presence, and us of props • Talent can be solo or production number

Music: The CD should have your talent number recorded as Track #1 and your crowning number should be Track #2. Contestants will be given the opportunity to submit the talent music at the rehearsal.

TIPS FOR TALENT COMPETITION • Remember that any national competition will be comparative, meaning all talents are ranked. Your talent can be very good or great but how will it compare to the others? Anticipate Heavy competition! • Always remain THE STAR of any production number talent. Do not be upstaged by the back-up or out danced if you are doing the same routine as your back-up dancers. • If you leave the stage for a costume change please keep this time as short as possible. Leaving for 2 minutes out of a 5 minute talent will cost you points. • Know your words! Practice the number multiple times and learn every word to your part. Do not sing the back-up parts unless you are the back-up! If your talent involves others who sing, know those words but be sure they know their parts as well. • MALES/FEMALES can sing/lip sync to a female/male song but the vocals need to be changed to male and female, respectively. • Males and Females can dance to any type of music, whether male or female. • If you have dancers it is important that they are fairly evenly matched in their skills and abilities. One amazing dancer out of four can ruin a talent just as easily as one terrible dancer. • If you are going to use lights, smoke, video, etc. practice getting this set-up and have a back-up plan in case something goes wrong during the set-up. • Make sure all lights you need are address and set-up how you need them done for your talent.

Pageants worldwide

Gay pageants are also very popular in the Philippine and Thailand; most local fiestas features one. Pageantry of all forms is deeply rooted in Filipino culture as a popular form of entertainment. Many Filipinos are fans of the extravagant Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss Earth pageants; this fascination extends logically to drag pageants.

Miss International Queen Pageant

Striving to advance and support today’s transgender/transsexual, Miss International Queen™ Pageant offers great opportunities for transgender/transsexual from all over the world to present their individual beauty and intelligence in a friendly atmosphere.

The Miss International Queen Pageant in Pattaya City, Thailand, is produced and organized by The Tiffany's Show Pattaya Co., Ltd., the world's largest transvestite/transgender cabaret show and support by Tourism Authority of Thailand.

List of Miss International Queen Titleholders:

• 2004 - Treechada Petcharet (Thailand)
• 2005 - Mimi Marks (USA)
• 2006 - Erica Andrews (Mexico)
• 2007 - Tanyarat Jirapatpakon (Thailand)
• 2008 - no contest due to political unrest in Thailand
• 2009 - Ai Haruna (Japan)
• 2010 - Mini Han (Korea)

See also

• Drag (clothing)
• Drag queens
• Drag kings
• Faux queen
• List of transgender-related topics
• List of drag queens

References

External links

• Miss Gay America Pageant Website
• Miss Continental Pageant Website
• Miss Gay USofA Pageant Website
• National Entertainer of the Year Pageant
• USA Unlimited