From the Desk of Larry & Terry

​It's About the Reign!

During this time of year, we most always become nervous for many reasons primarily in that we want the next Miss Gay America Pageant to be better than those before and to flow smoothly. But we are also nervous and anxious to see who the Judges select to be the next Miss Gay America. For the last few years, the Miss Gay America organization has been fortunate to have, as its national “Symbol of Excellence” incredible national titleholders that are the epitome of what a Miss Gay America should be. But not all who are crowned are that total Symbol of Excellence as soon as they are crowned. The primary responsibility of the Judges is to sift through the crop of contestants to determine the one, that best presents according to the category descriptions, the best overall competition package that demonstrates (to the Judges) that they, the contestant, will be able to sustain the legacy that so many great entertainers have created, strengthened and sustained. The category descriptions are purposely designed to identify the best overall qualified individual who will be the very Symbol of Excellence that the country expects.   We can attest that during the L & T Entertainment administration, no entertainer has been crowned as Miss Gay America, that was COMPLETELY ready. Granted, the obvious strengths were enough to allow them to capture the title but then work immediately begins relative to schooling, being travel ready, appearance/camera ready, administrative ready, performance ready and crowd-presentation ready. More often than not, most entertainers who are fortunate enough to become Miss Gay America are most of the aforementioned with some attention to detail needed so as to meet the expectations of many including the audience, fellow contestants, promoters and L & T Entertainment. The greatest disservice the judges could provide (to the contestants) would be to award the title of Miss Gay America to someone who, based on the competition presentations, clearly demonstrate their un-preparedness.  Thus the reason that, we ( L & T Entertainment) observe all phases of competition. That is, all phases of competition except Male Interview which is usually so close in scores that the individuals who usually consistent score high usually score high in other categories also. From our observance of competition, we can generally assess the contestant enough to know certain areas that may warrant attention however, all newly crowned Miss Gay America titleholders go through the same extensive orientation and schooling (from L & T Entertainment) to ensure that their administrative capabilities are ready for another great pageantry season. As we all know, the very least that the country expects is that Miss Gay America should be beautiful and entertaining but the behind-the-scenes administrative responsibilities is actually the glue that bonds the organization for the next coming year. If Miss Gay America is administratively prepared, then their role as a member of the partnership with L & T Entertainment will be much easier and rewarding, all the while allowing L & T Entertainment to do the cyclical things that must be accomplished in order to sustain yet another great year of pageantry.

It would deeply sadden us to observe a Miss Gay America titleholder who was “prematurely” selected to wish the year away in that they would hope that the next October would quickly get here so that they will be able to relinquish the title. Instead, we want the newly crowned Miss Gay America to be prepared in every way, administratively, travel, performance and approachability so that they can have the greatest year of their life and realize that at the end of their reign, that all of the investment made (time, energy and money) to obtain the goal was well worth it. Case and point… Miss Gay America 2015 Blair Williams!
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There are some whom this national office would be delighted to witness to be crowned as Miss Gay America 2016. Likewise, there are some whom we feel are not ready and inwardly hope that they are not crowned this year however, no matter whom the judges select to be Miss Gay America 2016,  our commitment to this pageant system and the world is to immediately commence working with the next Miss Gay America, so as to ensure that they, the newly crowned Miss Gay America, is ready to embark on their participation in history and to assist them (the newly crowned Miss Gay America) to positively make the best impression within their ability to be the very Miss Gay America that the country expect.

At this point we may not know who is NOT going to be crowned the next Miss Gay America but we certainly know who will be crowned and that is one of the 54 qualified contestants to the Miss Gay America 2016 Pageant. The field has been narrowed from approximately 500 men, who made attempt to qualify for the national competition during this pageant season, to 54. Then the next step is to narrow the field from 54 to 10, then from 10 individuals to 5 individuals.  As we say each year to the crop of contestants, we pray that they know what they are volunteering to become, then when they become it, they should embrace the moment and excel as the nationals leading Symbol of Excellence. It is so much more than a crowning moment… It is about the reign! So ready or not, 1 of 54 individuals will become the next Miss Gay America.  We are eager to work with whomever the Judges select and hope that they (the Judges) choose wisely as the legacy of 44 others is at risk.

Until next time!

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