Drag pageantry

Drag pageantry is a highly developed form of pageantry for female impersonators and trans women, styled after traditional beauty pageants or beauty contests.

Pageants in the United States

National drag pageants became enmeshed within the gay community during the 1970s, and have become increasingly prevalent since. The first drag pageants were held in individual gay bars, and discothèques during the post Stonewall era. Drag pageants evolved independently, in the decade subsequent to the first gay Mardi Gras coronations.

Miss Gay America

Mirroring the format of the Miss America contest, the first national gay pageant Miss Gay America (MGA) was held in 1972 at the Watch Your Hat & Coat Saloon in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville's first gay dance and show bar. Jerry Peek opened this bar in 1971,and was an instant sensation. Not only with the gay patrons, but also with the straight crowd. Norma Kristie, state representative of Arkansas, was crowned as the winner. In 1975 Norman "Norma Kristie" Jones purchased the pageant from the previous owner, Jerry Peek, who founded the Miss Gay America Pageant, and formed Norma Kristie, Inc. to run the pageant and its network of preliminaries.

The MGA pageantry system grew in size and scope over the next decade. Like its mainstream counterpart, MGA developed a system of preliminary state-wide and regional contests (i.e. Miss Gay Arkansas, Miss Gay Texas, Miss Gay Midwest, etc.) from which to draw contestants. Female impersonators were scored in interview, evening gown and talent competitions. Later a sportswear category was added, called "Contemporary Fashion." After about 12 years it was decided to change the category to "Creative Fashion," a category that was never fully understood by anyone, especially the judges and contestants, and finally morphed into "Creative Costume." It was eventually replaced with Solo Talent. While some of the contestants performed live vocals, dance or comedy skits; the vast majority showcased their talent of lip syncing to music on records, then cassette tapes, and finally CD's. In February 2005, the Miss Gay America pageantry system was purchased by Larry Tyger and Terry Eason of L & T Entertainment. Currently, contestants are judged in 5 categories: Male Interview, Solo Talent, Evening Gown, On-Stage Question & Answer, and Talent.

List of Former Miss Gay America Titleholders

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	*1/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 *2/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 *3
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 *4
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	*5
2012	Kirby Kolby	Miss Gay District of Columbia (D.C.)	Raleigh, NC	The Capitol Theatre at the Riffe Center	Columbus, OH	Current

• *1 Lady Baronessa's full name was "The Lady Baroness Maria Andrea del Santiago."
• *2 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.
• *3 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.
• *4 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.
• *5 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.

Main article: Miss Continental

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

National Entertainer Of The Year

Contest held every year In Louisville, Kentucky.

Formers

• 1990 - Naomi Sims (Emeritus) (Deceased)
• 1991 - Tasha Kohl
• 1992 - Amazing Grace (Deceased)
• 1993 - Shayla Simpson (Deceased)
• 1994 - Electra
• 1995 - CoCo (Deceased)
• 1996 - Monica Monroe
• 1997 - Maya Douglas
• 1998 - Daisy DeadPetals
• 1999 - Stephanie Bofill (Deceased)
• 2000 - Roxie Hart
• 2001 - Raven
• 2002 - Necole Luv Dupree
• 2003 - Nina Di'Angelo
• 2004 - Tasha Long
• 2005 - Angelic Ali
• 2006 - Erica Andrews (Crowned in the Kentucky Center - Louisville, Ky)
• 2007 - DeeRanged (Crowned in the Kentucky Center - Louisville, Ky)
• 2008 - Nina West (Crowned in the Kentucky Center - Louisville, Ky)
• 2009 - Bianca Nicole (Crowned in the Brown Theater - Louisville, Ky)
• 2010 - Vanessa DeMornay
• 2011 - Aurora Sexton (Crowned in the Horseshoe Casino - Southern Indiana)

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:

Miss Gay U.S.A.'s : 1979 - Naomi Sims. Crowned at Numbers in Houston, Texas from a field of 36 contestants that included Miss Gay America 1976, Michael Andrews (who was named First Runner-up to Naomi Sims - a twist of irony, since Naomi Sims was named First Runner-up to Michael Andrews at the 1976 MGA pageant.) Deceased. 1980 – Jahanau Reis, competing as Second Runner-up to Miss Gay USA - Texas, which was won by Sabrina Ross of Austin. First Runner-up Heather of Houston also competed in the national competition, which was held at Numbers once again. Runners-up to Miss Gay USA 1980 included Roskie Fernandez, Dena Jacobs and Sabrina Ross. Jahna later became famous as Jahna Steele, voted "Sexiest Showgirl on the Strip" in Las Vegas after transitioning to female - verified through her interview at www.carriefairfield.com DETHRONED – Deceased. 1980 & 1981 - Dena Jacobs accepted the title after Jauhna was dethroned. 1982 & 1983 – Eartha Kitt. Runners-up included Odessa Brown and Vonda DeLayne in the contest that was held at Austin Country Nightclub in Austin, TX. Deceased. 1984 & 1985 – Lisa King (Crowned in Atlanta, confirmed by thelisaking at aol.com and her interview on CarrieFairfield.com) Miss Gay USA's : 1986 - Michael Andrews - from Houston, TX. Naomi Sims (deceased) was named Miss Gay USA Emeritus during the competition, which was held at the Copa in Houston. Deceased 1987 – Diana Hutton – from Nashville, TN - Crowned in Columbia, SC - Deceased 1988 - Tommie Ross - from Dallas, TX - Crowned in Indianapolis, IN 1989 - Netasha Edwards – from Indianapolis, IN - Crowned in St. Louis, MO - Deceased 1990 - Cezanne - from Louisville, KY - Crowned in Atlanta, GA 1991 - Sable Chanel – from Johnson City, TN - Crowned in Atlanta, GA - Retired 1992 - Tandi Andrews – from San Antonio, TX - Crowned in San Antonio, TX - Deceased 1993 - Sweet Savage - from Dallas, TX - Crowned in San Antonio, TX 1994 - Coco - from Dallas, TX - Crowned in St. Louis, MO - Deceased Miss Gay USofA's : 1995 - Maya Douglas - from Dallas, TX - Crowned in the Indianapolis Civic Center in Indianapolis, IN 1996 - Natasha Richards - from Tampa, FL - Crowned in The Dallas Grand Hotel Ballroom in Dallas, TX 1997 - Jacquelyn DeVaroe - from Norman, OK - Crowned in The Dallas Grand Hotel Ballroom in Dallas, TX 1998 - Lauren Taylor – from Austin, TX - Crowned in The Dallas Grand Hotel Ballroom in Dallas, TX - Retired 1999 - Erica Andrews - from San Antonio, TX - Crowned in The Dallas Grand Hotel Ballroom in Dallas, TX 2000 - Chevelle Brooks - from Dallas, TX - Crowned in The Dallas Grand Hotel Ballroom in Dallas, TX 2001 - Erika Norell - from Orlando, FL - Crowned in The Dallas Market Center in Dallas, TX 2002 - Alexis Gabrielle Sherrington - from Jacksonville, FL - Crowned in the Adams Mark Hotel Ballroom in Dallas, TX 2003 - Raquel Lord - from Atlanta, GA - Crowned in the Adams Mark Hotel Ballroom in Dallas, TX 2004 - Layla LaRue - from San Antonio, TX - Crowned in the Adams Mark Hotel Ballroom in Dallas, TX 2005 - Tamisha Iman - from Atlanta, GA - Crowned in the Adams Mark Hotel Ballroom in Dallas, TX 2006 - Alyssa Edwards - from Dallas, TX - Crowned in the Adams Mark Hotel Ballroom in Dallas, TX 2007 - Asia O'Hara - from Dallas, TX - Crowned in the Sheraton Hotel Ballroom in Dallas, TX 2008 - Kara Young-Ross - from Las Vegas, NV - Crowned in the Sheraton Hotel Ballroom in Dallas, TX 2009 - Stasha Sanchez - from Atlanta, GA - Crowned in the Sheraton Hotel Ballroom in Dallas, TX 2010 - Dominique Sanchez - from Little Rock, AR - Crowned at the Lakewood Theater - Dallas, TX 2011 - Luscious - from Charlotte, NC - Crowned at the House of Blues - Dallas, TX 2012 - Miss Gay USofA Classic's : 2003 - Tina Devoure - from Atlanta, GA - Emeritus 2004 - Ginger Manchester - from Ft. Wayne, IN - crowned in St. Louis, MO 2005 - Latoya Bacall - from Lexington, KY - crowned at the Round Up Saloon in Dallas, TX 2006 - Chelsea Pearl - from Lexington, KY - crowned at the Round Up Saloon in Dallas, TX 2007 - Anita Mann - from Springfield, IL - crowned at the Round Up Saloon in Dallas, TX 2008 - Shae Shae Lareese - from Laguna Beach, CA - crowned at the Round Up Saloon in Dallas, TX 2009 - Lawanda Jackson - from Houston, TX - crowned at the Round Up Saloon in Dallas, TX 2010 - Whitney Paige - from Little Rock, AR - crowned at the Round Up Saloon in Dallas, TX 2011 - Catia Lee Love - from Tulsa, OK - crowned at the Round Up Saloon in Dallas, TX 2012 - www.usofa.org www.mrgayusofa.com www.mrgayusofaatlarge.com www.missgayusofanewcomer.com www.misterusofami.com

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 USofA Newcomer 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.

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
• Mr. Gay USofA Contest Website
• Mr. Gay USofA At Large Contest Website
• Miss Gay USofA Newcomer Pageant Website
• Mister USofA MI Contest Website
• National Entertainer of the Year Pageant