Who Is Competing for Mr. Gay World 2024?
The 16th annual Mr. Gay World competition is heading to its finale on Monday. This year's event takes place in Great Britain (at The Alnwick Garden in Northumberland) for the first time in its history. There are 12 men competing from Chile, France, India, Germany, Philippines, Italy, the United States (Puerto Rico), South Africa, Poland and Switzerland, Thailand as well as the UK. They are staying in Alnwick as guests of the Duchess of Northumberland before the big day which will feature a catwalk section showcasing elaborate outfits plus music and performances from 1pm on Monday.
"We have had the privilege of hosting Mr Gay Europe for the last two years and were delighted when the opportunity to welcome Mr Gay World arose this summer, Mark Brassell, chief executive at The Alnwick Garden, told the Northumberland Gazette.
According to its website, "The Mr Gay World® competition is a 21st Century public performance where the delegates represent their nation as the best spokesperson and embody the spirit of their nation.
The competition takes place over an intense four days and includes various challenges including:
Public Voting, Social Media, Written Test, Personal Interview, Swimwear, Formal Wear, National Costume, and Social Responsibility Campaign. Amongst its rules are that all candidates must be 21 years of age one month prior to the competition and "identifies as male, uses 'him' and 'his' as their pronouns and 'collectively identifies as male'."
Amongst the attributes the jury will be focusing on are a candidate who shows an interest in the world and people around him; displays a compassionate nature; embraces change or people and things different from his own frame of reference; can conduct an intelligent conversation; is authentic; has poise and confidence without seeming arrogant; is someone his nation and community would be proud of; can be a diplomat of good will; has innate leadership skills; inspires those around him; is willing to take risks; is a visionary; is dedicated to his responsibility towards the LGBTQIA+ community he represents; and is presentable to be a role model and represent the LGBTQIA+ on a variety of public.
Last year's The Mr Gay World® was hosted in Cape Town, South Africa. The winner was Troy Michael Smith representing Guam, with David Allwood from Great Britain as 1st runner up and Dion Alexander from Australia 2nd runner up. Beyond his pageant success, Troy Michael Smith is a real estate agent, small business owner, and a dedicated mental health advocate. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science and English and has a history as a collegiate athlete and captain of the men's tennis team. Troy victory not only celebrated his personal achievement but also the crucial message he conveyed about suicide prevention within the LGBTQIA+ community.
The public can vote on their choices for Mr Gay World® at this link. The voting process began on August 4 and continues through Sunday 25 August 2024 and close at 23:59 (CAT). Each vote will cost ZAR10.00 and you can vote as many times as you want. In US currency, that equals $0.56 per vote. (A currency converter is available at this link.)
Meet the contestants:
CHILE: Juan José Villavicencio, 35, business graduate and influencer
FRANCE: Guillaume Julien Barbier, 40, farmer
GERMANY: Karabo Morake, 33, advocate, dancer, model and influencer
GREAT BRITAIN: Paul Carruthers, 42, trans healthcare nurse, radio DJ, and father of two
INDIA: Firdaus (Mayur Saroj Rajput), 33, fashion content creator and model
ITALY: Fabrizio Costabile, 36, client relations manager
PHILIPPINES: John Bench Ortiz, 32, dietitian, fitness coach, choreographer, realtor and model
POLAND: Damian Kutryb, 34, dance studio owner, teacher and dancer
PUERTO RICO: Ángel J Nieves Quiñones, 32, professional stylist
SOUTH AFRICA: Luc de Muelenaere, 44, painter, sculptor, and inventor
SWITZERLAND: Angelo Amaro, 33, airport ground handling agent
THAILAND: Poosit Changkaewmanee, 36, safety engineer and business owner