Through beams of lights and a disco ball, ten female impersonators took the stage at Splash on Aug. 17, all competing to be crowned the next Miss Gay Louisiana America.
In the end, Derrian Tolden, whose stage name is Chelsea Divine, walked away with the crown. The vocal performance senior will go on to compete in Miss Gay America this October.
Tolden, a Houston native, said this was his second time competing in drag in Louisiana.
“I was inspired by the ladies doing drag when I was eighteen years old, and I thought ‘I can do that,'” Tolden said. “I started performing in the summer of 2003, and now I hold the state title.”
Quentin Little, manager of Splash, said the nightclub has been hosting the Miss Gay Louisiana pageant for four years but the pageant has been around in Louisiana for eighteen years. The Miss Gay America pageant program has been operating since 1972.
“We have also been involved in the preliminary competitions and have been very supportive of the pageant system in general,” Little said.
The “ladies” competed in several different categories: male interview, solo talent without props, evening gown, on-stage interview and talent.
In addition to Tolden’s crown, he won $900, a paid trip to the Miss Gay America pageant in Tennessee and $600 of jewelry by designer Lucinda Holliday.
Tolden said he spent countless hours preparing for the pageant.
“The makeup and dress takes a long time,” he said. “And we have been rehearsing everything for two months.”
Tolden said he “definitely” has a chance to win the national competition.
“I’m really not that nervous at all,” he said. “I’m actually more excited about getting out there and performing again.”
Tolden said he is working on the finishing touches for his routine.
“I’m perfecting the entire package that I have prepared,” he said. “I have to change a few things but not a lot. I will be using all the same attire, except for one outfit.”
The MGA pageant has strict rules and regulations competitors must follow concerning physical appearance. Sleeves should not be any shorter than the wrist, and a slip must be worn under all dresses, according to the MGA Web site. So contestants look more feminine, dresses should not have a low neckline. Any use of hormones or cosmetic surgery is prohibited.
“The main reason I decided to participate is because it is an all natural competition,” Tolden said. “You can enhance your face, but you cannot have breast implants or hormones to make you look more feminine. It is completely male.”
L and T Entertainment, owner of the MGA pageant, has the right to require a medical or physical examination if it suspects a contestant has broken this rule.
The rules also say the dress, shoes and jewelry should be in perfect condition and match appropriately. The guidelines suggest contestants spend time walking in their heels before their performances so they look more natural and at ease in them.
The Miss Gay America pageant will be held in Memphis, Tenn. from October 17 to the 21.
—–Contact Ashley Norsworthy at [email protected].