Column 6- Dextra! Dextra! Read All About It!!!

June kicked off Pride month! As a community, we have so much to be thankful for. We truly stand on the shoulders of the champions that came before us and paved the way for us. Be proud of who you are. You are special. You are a treasure and you are so very unique.

The beginning of the month started off with a bang in my hometown of Monroe, LA for Miss Gay Southern Elegance America 2022! That Friday night we had our kick-off show that had myself, Sasha Leigh Chambers MGSEA 2019, Chi Chi Rae Colby MGSEA 2014 as well as Miss Gay United States 2012 Taylor Madison Monroe. It was an amazing show with these ladies ! 

The next morning it was pageant day and had 4 lovely contestants! Joining us that night to entertain was Miss Gay Louisiana America 2021 Bubblez Alexander, MGSEA 2016 Trixie LaRue, Mr. Gay Louisiana America 2018 Taylor Made and Miss Gay America 2013 Sally Sparkles who won MGSEA 2009. At the end of a close battle that night, Aubrey Sinclaire was crowned Miss Gay Southern Elegance America and 1st alternate was Fancy Rae Douglas. The charity of choice by David Green was Go-Care, a local organization that assists with free HIV/STD testing in our area and we donated 122.00 to them! Thank you David and the staff at Club Pink for hosting us for this amazing weekend.

​That next morning I headed down to Alexandria, LA for their Pride weekend finale! It was called the Eat-Pray-Slay Gospel drag dinner so you can imagine how much of an amazing time it was. These Pride events always are so remarkable to me. Seeing so many people of all ages truly makes my heart happy. A trip to Alexandria is never complete without stopping by Mama Janika Weathers house for a nice meal.  That lady can throw down ! Thank you Laronna, DC and Cenla Pride for having me for this wonderful event ! 

My next pit stop was Louisville, KY for the All American Goddess/Gent weekend. 

SIDE BAR : This city is very special to me even though I have not been back in 14 years. One of my personal accomplishments as a vocalist took place here. For many years I was selected to be a tenor in the National Honor Choir for the American Choral Directors Association. My senior year was held in Louisville, KY. What made it so special was that I was hand picked(did not audition) to be the featured soloist that year for one of our pieces. 

A HUGE congrats goes out to Mykul, Lindsay and Olivia on having an incredible year. You 3 have always been so supportive of me and my dream and I am so happy I got to see an amazing year come full circle. Congrats to Nikki and the staff of the pageant for putting on a stellar event and allowing Miss Gay America to be there and celebrate! And last but certainly not least to the new court Jovan, Nadine and Kamaree congrats on your win! You all did an EXCEPTIONAL job! It is always such an amazing time with my partner in crime Jack Nielson! 

Atlanta, GA was the next stop for Miss Gay America for Southern America weekend. I arrived and then immediately started jumping into drag to take part in the nighttime events for the Mr. Gay Southern America contest. It was amazing seeing Mr. Gay America Chris Johnson in his element and he killed it! 

The next day was for me and the girls! It was pageant day for Miss Gay Southern America 2022. The ladies that showed up are no strangers to the Miss Gay America stage. This prelim was very special to me as I got to share it with someone that really had a remarkable showing at Miss Gay America and that was my 1st runner up Shelita. For the 1st time in MGA history 2 “big girls” ended up being the top 2. That alone should tell you that all things are possible with hard work and dedication. At the end of the night Buff Faye was crowned Miss Gay Southern America and her 1st alternate was Sasha Leigh Chambers. Monica Mitchells and her staff truly went above and beyond to ensure that this contest ran smoothly. The charity of choice was Lost and Found youth and through my ballad number I was able to raise a total of 137.00 for this wonderful organization! We got to see some amazing places that day before I flew out which really does make you enjoy the city even more.

That following weekend I was headed to Phoenix, AZ for Arizona and Western States America weekend! The promoter Daniel Eckstrom picked me up from the airport and as always it is good catching up with him. That night  we got to have a Miss Gay Arizona and Miss Gay America review show at Charlie’s Phoenix! It was so amazing getting to see so many of my sisters. 

The next morning was all business as we started registration and interviews for Arizona America. Ten wonderful ladies applied for this job. That night we did another review at Charlie’s Phoenix and what amazing time yet again. 

Saturday night rolls around and we had all of the onstage categories of competition. At the end of the night Janee Starr was crowned Miss Gay Arizona America and her 1st alt was Princess Prozac. Thank you Sicarya Seville for a tremendous year as MGAA 2021!! 

Sunday came and yet again all systems are go for Miss Gay Western States America. This pageant has always had a special place in my heart as I did get the chance to represent them as 1st alt in 2018 at Miss Gay America 2019! We had 5 wonderful ladies there to apply for the job. Barbra Seville was crowned Miss Gay Western States America and her 1st alt was Olivia Gardens!  Congrats Tatiyanna  Voche on an amazing year as MGWSA 2021!!  After a long weekend of drag, 4 ladies are now in the Eckstrom roster for Miss Gay America 2023! Thank you Daniel and Nick for an amazing weekend !

That truly wrapped up a very busy month for me. While the job is exhausting and tiring I would not trade this experience for anything. I can’t believe I am almost half way over. Time is truly flying.
In July, we will be having Miss Gay Mississippi America in Jackson, MS as well as Miss Gay Texas America in Dallas, TX!
I will also be in Lafayette, Baton Rouge and lastly Louisville, KY for the National Entertainer of the Year FI contest!
****Each column I want to bring up discussions or topics I feel need addressing. This can be anything from category questions/uncertainty to things that may not necessarily be in a handbook but a “good to know”****

ADMIN POINTS-GIVING AWAY YOUR HARD EARNED POINTS
Make sure, ladies, that everything you can control IS controlled. Time check/roll calls, submission of music/application, prop set up/tear down etc. These are things that have NOTHING to do with the points you are rewarded by a judges panel. Do not give ANY points away. I know right off the bat that MGA has been determined by 9 points as well as 10 points in some recent years. Again no room for error on things that are within your control. I cannot stress this enough. Also make sure that you and your team are ALWAYS well behaved regardless of the outcome of a contest. Remember they are a reflection of you.