A Great Slideshow from the Miss Gay New York America Pageant, July 24 in New York City

Check out this great slideshow from Monday night's Miss Gay New York America pageant on the Edge Media Network by Gustavo Monroy. Above, Kelly Ray during her Talent number. Later that evening she was crowned Miss Gay New York America 2017. First Alternate is the fab Champagne Bubbles of New York City. We'll see you both at Miss Gay America in New Orleans! Check out the photo here.

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20 Years Later, Former MISS AMERICA Elizabeth Gracen Talks About “THE DAMN DEAL” Her Captivating Documentary on Drag and the MISS GAY AMERICA Pageant

Elizabeth Gracen. Photo: Emma Bogren

"My brother was a huge football star and now with me in competition in pageants, that’s my football –that’s me being a football star. I’m just a beautiful football star.”  –  Spencer May/Kelly Cruise, Miss Gay Arkansas America 1993, from “The Damn Deal” (1997) 

In 1997, filmmaker, writer and former Miss Arkansas and Miss America, Elizabeth Gracen, interviewed three young female impersonators who competed in the Miss Gay America Pageant system for her captivating, beautifully filmed black-and-white documentary “The Damn Deal” (Flapper Films). The recovered, original footage, now restored, explores gender, identity and what it was like to grow up gay in the South at the end of the 20th century.  

Crowned Miss Arkansas 1981 and Miss America 1982, Gracen (Elizabeth Ward at the time) went on to study acting, pose on the cover of Playboy, star (as Amanda) in the Nineties TV series “Highlander,” and established her own film production company (Flapper Films) and boutique publishing company (Flapper Press). She recently filmed actress Lee Meriweather for a documentary short and in March released her first Young Adult fantasy novel, “Shallily.” Below, Gracen talks about the making of “The Damn Deal.”

DALLAS MORNING NEWS feature on MISS GAY TEXAS AMERICA: "Inside the Miss Gay Texas America pageant in Dallas, land of sisterhood and sparkles"

Once again Guide Live, the entertainment website from The Dallas Morning News–the biggest newspaper in Texas–has done a great feature on the Miss Gay Texas America pageant. See the July 25th feature here and see last year's story here. Please enjoy, share and blab about it to your friends!

It’s an hour to showtime, and wigs, sequins and high heels are scattered around the dressing room. Men find their sparkling evening gowns and gather around mirrors propped against walls. "I need help getting a sister into a corset over here!" calls one assistant, while Gizelle, the backstage coordinator, reminds: "20 minutes til top 12!"...continue reading here.

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5 Questions with MISS GAY TEXAS AMERICA Sofia Anderson In Anticipation of the Annual Miss Gay Texas America Pageant July 18-21 at The Rose Room, Dallas

Miss Gay Texas America 2016 Sofia Anderson. Photo: Juan Salazar for Timeless Studios.

From July 18-21, 2017, The Rose Room in Dallas will be the setting for Miss Gay Texas America, a state preliminary competition for the 45th annual Miss Gay America Pageant.

Established in Nashville in 1972–37 years before "RuPaul's Drag Race"–The Miss Gay America Pageant is the world’s first, longest running and most prestigious female impersonator competition.

Miss Gay Texas America was established in 1974 and is in its 44th year of competition, making it one of the oldest and largest preliminary pageants in the country.

The pageant will honor the current Miss Gay Texas America 2016 Sofia Anderson, of Brownsville, and feature Miss Gay America 2017 Suzy Wong, of Nashville and Palm Springs.

The evening's theme will be "Queens on Fire". For the Presentation category, contestants will be asked to interpret the theme, in their gown, costume and look.

Nearly 40 contestants from 22 regional preliminaries around the state will compete in five categories: Male Interview (in suit and tie), Presentation (theme based costume), Evening Gown, On Stage Interview and Talent (big production number with costumes, sets and dancers).

Miss Gay Texas America is Sofia Anderson, aka Alfonso "Poncho" Medina, is originally from Monterrey Mexico, now a citizen of the US, still learning English, owns his own salon in the Valley (southern tip of Texas), and supports his mother in Mexico. His drag esthetic evolved out of Mexican circuit party style and favors drama and wild, over-the-top illusions.

Meet your reigning Miss Gay Texas America 2016, Sofia Anderson, as she answers five questions in anticipation of her step-down and the passing on of the crown to Miss Gay Texas 2017 on July 21:  

1 How did you get started, when did you first do in female impersonation?

I have always had a passion for the stage, as a child I always wanted to be a star—a celebrity. And Sofia has that passion running in her veins. 17 years later, I still get goosebumps when I take the stage. It's a feeling that I can't put into words.

VIDEO: The Crowning of Miss Gay Ohio 2017 VALERIE TAYLOR

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The New Miss Gay Arizona America OLIVIA GARDENS featured on Filipino-American News Website

Check out this great story about our new Miss Gay Arizona America Olivia Gardens as featured on the Filipino-American news website, Balitang America.

About winning, Olivia told ABS-CBN News reporter Gerald Bohulano, “It’s been a dream of mine since I’ve started seven years ago, and so to have been selected this year, having put in the work and the effort to prepare my competition package… it was really quite overwhelming.”

Read the full story here and see some great photos of Olivia on the night of her win here.

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Miss Gay America 2017 Suzy Wong and the Mr. Gay America Contestants

Miss Gay America 2017 Suzy Wong with the Mr. Gay America 2017 contestants. Read this great Dallas Voice interview with Miss Gay America owners Rob Mansman and Michael Dutzer on the return of Mr. Gay America.

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Your Mr. Gay America 2017 Kyle Ean!

More photos via the Mr. Gay America website here.

5 Questions with MISS GAY OHIO AMERICA Mary Nolan In Anticipation of the Annual Miss Gay Ohio America Pageant July 8-9, 2017 at Axis Nightclub in Columbus

From July 8-9, 2017, Axis Nightclub in Columbus will be the setting for Miss Gay Ohio America, a state preliminary competition for the 45th annual Miss Gay America Pageant.

Established in Nashville in 1972–37 years before "RuPaul's Drag Race"–The Miss Gay America Pageant is the world’s first, longest running and most prestigious female impersonator competition. The Miss Gay Ohio America pageant began in 1973 and is now in its 45th year.

The evening's theme will be "Ohio is Burning". For the Presentation category, contestants will be asked interpret the theme, in their gown, costume and look.

Nearly a dozen contestants from preliminaries in Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton will compete in five categories: Male Interview (in suit and tie), Presentation (theme based costume), Evening Gown, On Stage Interview and Talent (big production number with costumes, sets and dancers).

The pageant will honor the current Miss Gay Ohio America 2016 Mary Nolan, of Columbus, and feature Miss Gay America 2017 Suzy Wong, of Nashville and Palm Springs.

If you live in the Columbus area, you can catch Mary Nolan every every Friday night at AWOL in "Mary Nolan's Commissary" and every Saturday and Sunday at Boscoe's.   Meet your reigning Miss Gay Ohio America 2016, Mary Nolan, as she answers five questions in anticipation of her step-down and the passing on of the crown to Miss Gay Ohio America 2017 on June 25:

1 How did you get started, when did you first do in female impersonation?  

I got started doing female impersonation in 2008. It wasn't pretty and it was rough! I had been around several extremely talented entertainers for some time and even danced at national pageants and large-scale production shows, but never taken the leap to be my own “brand.”