Meet Fifi DuBois, your reigning Miss Gay Western States America 2018. Thanks to the generous admissions policy for "open regional" pageants, it is a New Yorker under that crown. (Nice to see more East Coast girls in the system!)
Uptown, downtown, all around town performing, Fifi DuBois has not only talent, but nerve: she takes the subway to gigs in full drag. (Keep track of her gigs via her Facebook page.)
In 2016, Fifi won her first crown (below), that of Miss'd America, a fundraising completion put on by the Greater Atlantic City GLBT Alliance that donates thousands of dollars to local organizations. Great videos of the pageant and Fifi here.
To make a short story longer (but aren't you curious?) when asked how she came to be Miss'd America, Fifi recounts, "I had seen a that a few of my NYC drag sisters had been competing in this big scale pageant in Atlantic City and was thoroughly intrigued. So I did my research and found all you had to do was apply and be approved to compete. So during my 6 month contract with a cruise ship as a dancer I applied and got accepted to compete only a couple months after my contract was up. I competed didn’t place but had such a spectacular time I went back stepped my game up and placed top 3, and I said to myself that’s it next year it’s mine to lose. So, I took the year to prepare– even turned down other pageants to focus on Miss’d–and won on my 3rd try in 2015/16. As Miss’d America I got to participate in a lot of great event in Atlantic City and travel the east coast for various pride parades promoting the pageant and scouting for contestants." (You can check out Fifi Dubois at Miss'D America on Getty Images here.)
Clearly that focus, practice and dedication to being a great entertainer–which is what Miss Gay America is all about–paid off: Hello Miss Gay Western States crown!
So how does a New York City girl get crowned Miss Gay Western States America? "I had competed in my first prelim (Miss Gay New York America) and caught the MGA bug and was convinced by former MGA Suzy Wong to do Miss gay Western States, the prelim she was representing when she won. Even in my short time with MGA I was told of Daniel and Nick’s stellar reputation, which since winning has not been lived down."
About her drag name, she says, "I chose the name FiFi DuBois because I wanted a name that sounded like an obvious stage name. Plus both names have multiple meanings and definitions but I won't go in to detail on that, you'll just have to google it."
Now to the 5 Questions:
1 How did you get started, when did you first do in female impersonation?
I first started doing Drag as a part of a competition in college. I grew up as a dance competition kid (i.e. "Dance Moms") so I went in for the competition and ended up falling in love with the art form.
Photo by Preston Burford
2 What has being in the Miss Gay America system mean to you personally?
It’s still very new to me, but I feel right at home, everyone has been so welcoming. I was overwhelmed by the love and support I got from within the system in my first few attempts at qualifying, especially being a complete newbie!
Photo by Scotty Kirby
3 How have you benefited from competing in the Miss Gay America system?
I have gotten to meet new people, visit new cities, and make new drag sisters. Even having only done two prelims in my first year I’ve already grown so much as an artist.
Photo by Patrick Buford
4 Is your family supportive?
They are, they know that this is my passion. It hasn’t always been that way but they have always supported me as an entertainer and know now that this is no different
Photo by Jax Koyote
5 What is your life out of drag? Anything else you want to add or say?
Outside of drag I work in makeup retail to pay for my astronomical NYC rent, and I have a fiancé named Shane and puppy named Sirius. My most recent fundraising ventures have been with LGBT HQ a group dedicated group dedicated to creating a central hub for LGBT+ and diversity fandom. The organization focuses on developing programming and special events with the ideals of collaboration, education, advocacy, activism, empowerment and body positivity.
Photo by Andrea Di Macio
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