For the world’s longest running and most prestigious female impersonator competition, it’s much more than drag race.
Revered drag pageant launches
Miss Gay America Excellence Foundation
For the world’s longest running and most prestigious female impersonator competition, it’s much more than drag race.
Revered drag pageant launches
Miss Gay America Excellence Foundation
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(New York, NY) December 18, 2017–Since the founding of the Miss Gay America pageant in Nashville back in 1972–37 years before “RuPaul’s Drag Race”–giving has always played a key role in the legacy of the world’s first, longest running and most prestigious female impersonator competition. Living up to the pageant’s motto to “Be Excellent,” over the years, Miss Gay America titleholders have donated millions of dollars to a variety of charitable organizations across the U.S. Heralding the arrival of the 2017 holiday season, the Miss Gay America pageant co-owners Michael Dutzer and Rob Mansman are proud to announce the launch of the Miss Gay America Excellence Foundation.
“We are forming the MGA Excellence Foundation to mentor LGBTQ youth and work with youth centers to provide supportive, self-affirming, highly positive experiences,” says foundation co-founder Mansman.
(l-r) Miss Gay America pageant owners and founders of the Miss Gay America Foundation, Michael Dutzer, Miss Gay America 2018 Deva Station of Columbus, OH, and Rob Mansman. Photo by BJKJ Illusions.
“Most of the people in the Miss Gay America organization can relate to growing up being bullied or being different. We've all faced rejection and struggled to find ourselves,” says foundation co-founder Michael Dutzer.
“As we tour the country for nearly two-dozen preliminary state and regional pageants throughout the year, we want to reach out and offer support to youth centers in areas we visit in any way we can–from donations, to fundraising to motivational personal appearances by our titleholders,” explains Mansman. “Eventually we would like to raise enough money to issue grants to youth organizations and provide scholarships,” he says.
Miss Gay America Excellence Foundation
More on the history of giving by the Miss Gay America pageant below.
