Jul 22, 2013
Miss Gay Goddess Belize 2013
On
Saturday, protestors in favor of the existing laws of Belize took to
the streets of Corozal Town in demonstration against the content of the
Revised Gender Policy 2013, as well as a constitutional challenge
brought against the government by Caleb Orosco, who is seeking to have
repealed Section Fifty-three of the Criminal Code. While that religious
crusade winded down after several weeks of touring the country, a group
of openly gay men was making final preparations for Miss Gay Goddess
Belize 2013 later that night. Amid the controversy surrounding the
pageant, many have expressed disdain over such flamboyant display of
homosexuality, despite the fact that it was being held privately in
Belize City. Notwithstanding public criticism, the organizer, who goes
by the pseudonym Chuck Chuck, spoke about its success with a reporter
from Love FM.
Voice of: Chuck Chuck, Pageant Organizer, Gay Belize National Pageant
“Last night Gay Belize National Pageant finally had the
opportunity to host our pageant here in Belize City. It was a great
success. We had a few people who came out and it was a great show.”
Reporter
“Now there are some controversies in regards to the pageant when it
was scheduled to be held in Orange Walk. Why was it decided to have it
moved to Belize City?”
Chuck Chuck
“Well there are two main reasons why we came to Belize or why we
changed the venue per se. For one, I was concerned about the safety of
my guests attending the event. I wanted to ensure that the event would
have been a peaceful event for us and secondly, we found a better
location in Belize. And that’s two of the main reasons why we came here
to Belize.”
Reporter
“Are you somewhat thinking of or worried about the backlash that this pageant probably will receive from the wider community?”
Chuck Chuck
“I’m not. We have received a lot of support from the community,
to say the least. I believe that the churches are the only ones
actually that are actually up in arms in all of this but the community
has been supporting us. We’ve gotten a lot of support from the local
businesses, internationally as well. We’ve received a lot of support,
so I’m not concerned about whatever they wish to do after this.”
Reporter
“Now, how many people attended this pageant and was there any money raised?”
Chuck Chuck
“We received approximately at the start of the event, there were
approximately ninety-seven persons in attendance and we had people
coming in after the event pretty much. Some people were concerned about
their safety due to the first protest that was staged in Orange Walk so
we had people coming in after the event. But roughly it was about, I
would say, a hundred and seven at the end of the night. We did garner
funds from the event in the thousands; we did actually make some
proceeds from that.”
The Miss Gay Goddess Belize 2013 was initially scheduled to
be held in Orange Walk Town; however, public outcry prevented the
organizers from proceeding with the pageant there.
Source: http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/88350
And while that Queen will be competing amongst some of the most
elegant females from the Central American Region, this weekend there was
another very different kind of pageant. It’s the Gay Belize National
Pageant and according to a press release, female impersonator Adrian
Candy Lemar was crowned Miss Gay Goddess 2013-2014. The event – which
the release says was held at a private location – was the subject of
controversy for weeks leading up to the event. The release adds that
“Gay
Belize National pageant is in no way link to Unibam but is a private
organization owned by Gay Men in Belize, one that, quote, seeks to
create a positive and productive space for members of our group to
express themselves.” Unquote.
And of the queen it says that quote, she is expected to conduct 120
hours of Community service in this country during her one year reign and
her next stop will be Panama City where she will participate in the
International Centroamericano Gay.
Source:http://www.7newsbelize.com/index.php#story10