Miss Gay Philippines (MGP) is a

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Considered the longest-running national gay beauty pageant in the Philippines, Miss Gay Philippines was founded in 1979 by entertainment journalist and talk show host Chito Alcid.Zedrick Señeres. “Iloilo’s Gay Fairest Crowned Miss Gay Philippines-Universe 2012.” ''The Daily Guardian''. N.p., 22 Apr. 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2017. Miss Gay Philippines is currently owned by the Betera Group.

History

Miss Gay Philippines was founded in 1979 by Chito Alcid, a Filipino entertainment reporter and talk show host. Eddie Mercado, famous Filipino actor and sought-after beauty pageant host, was the original host of this competition. The pageant is intended to promote the integration of Filipino LGBT people into mainstream life in the Philippines. In an interview with the Daily Guardian, Alcid said, " iss Gay Philippinesis a platform for them to further develop their personality, how to be more productive gays, to be professional in dealing with people ... ndremind them the importance of moral values and their relationship to society." Following Alcid's death in 2013, the Miss Gay Philippines franchise was bought out by the Betera Group. The recipient of the Miss Gay Philippines — Universe title represented the Philippines at the

Miss International Queen Miss International Queen is the world's biggest beauty pageant for transgender women. The pageant was conceived in 2004 and named the largest and most prestigious by CNN original American documentary television series This Is Life with Lisa Lin ...

pageant held annually in Thailand until 2015, when media conglomerate

Viva Entertainment Viva Communications Inc., formerly known as Viva Entertainment Inc. and simply Viva, is a Philippine media and entertainment company headquartered in Pasig City. It was founded on November 11, 1981, by Vic del Rosario and his sister Tess Cruz. ...

and the city of

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

launched Miss Gay Manila.

Qualifications

In order to qualify as a contestant for Miss Gay Philippines, contestants must fulfill these qualifications: * Filipino identifying as gay, trans, or bisexual * 17 to 34 years old * At least 5'4" in height * Proportionate physique * At least a high school diploma * Have good communication skills * Have good moral character Gay, trans, and bisexual identities are blurred in Filipino culture in a

third gender Third gender is a concept in which individuals are categorized, either by themselves or by society, as neither man nor woman. It is also a social category present in societies that recognize three or more genders. The term ''third'' is usuall ...

identity, ''

bakla In the Philippines, a baklâ (), bayot ( Cebuano) or agî ( Hiligaynon) is a person who was assigned male at birth and has adopted a feminine gender expression. They are often considered a third gender. Many bakla are exclusively attracted to ...

'', in contrast to Western society's strict separation of gender and sexuality. Potential contestants do not have to be career ''pageanteras'' in order to participate. Miss Gay Philippines contestants can also have national, city, or local neighborhood titles, but can participate without having received other pageant titles. The screening process takes place in four steps leading up to coronation night. First, potential contestants must confirm their availability for orientation, photoshoots, and the pageant itself. Second, potential contestants go through a series of interviews to confirm their qualifications. Third, potential contestants must pay the applicable registration fee in order to become an official candidate. Fourth, all official candidates must attend orientation and pictorials.

Pageant events

The Miss Gay Philippines pageant consists of traditional costumes, an opening number, swimsuits and evening gowns. After the evening gowns presentation, there is an elimination round to narrow down the contestants. The last portion of the competition is a question-and-answer session with the remaining contestants. These question-and-answer segments are an essential part of the pageant. A smart, articulate response given by a contestant is a major factor in their pageant success. Afterwards, major titles and minor awards are awarded.Santiago, Lhar. “Miss Gay Philippines — Seeking Respect.” ''24 Oras''. GMA, 18 Mar. 2009. Television. Pageants are judged by prominent figures in Filipino popular culture, including former beauty pageant queens. Previous judges include model and former beauty queen

Evangeline Pascual Evangeline Louise Ancheta Pascual (born November 30, 1956) is a Filipino actress, artist, radio host and beauty queen who won Miss Republic of the Philippines 1973 and represented Philippines at Miss World 1973 where she placed first runner-up. ...

, actress Susan Roces, Miss International pageant winner

Melanie Marquez Mimilanie Laurel Marquez-Lawyer (; born 16 July 1964), popularly known as Melanie Marquez, is a Filipino personality development coach, actress, film producer, author, celebrity endorser, former supermodel and beauty pageant titleholder who was ...

and actor

Eddie Garcia Eduardo Verchez Garcia (; May 2, 1929 – June 20, 2019), known colloquially as Manoy, was a Filipino actor, television personality, film director and producer. With almost 600 film and television roles and a career spanning seven decades, he ...

Titles and awards

Since its inception, there have been five main titles awarded. The 2017 pageant added an additional two main titles. All titles and awards come with a cash reward. The main titles awarded at Miss Gay Philippines are: * Miss Gay Philippines Universe * Miss Gay Philippines World * Miss Gay Philippines Earth * Miss Gay Philippines International * Miss Gay Philippines Asia Pacific * Miss Gay Philippines Grand International * Miss Gay Philippines Globe The minor awards are: * Face of Betera * People's Choice Award * Best in Swimsuit * Best in Evening Gown * Placenta Awardee (awarded to 3 contestants)

Miss Gay Philippines titleholders

Source

Significance

Through the question-and-answer portions of the pageant, Miss Gay Philippines participants have the opportunity to advocate for LGBT equity in the Philippines on a national scale. Gay pageantry and cross-dressing is used as a source of healing for gay Filipino men. Filipino scholar and writer J. Neil Garcia has referenced Miss Gay Philippines in his works pertaining to Western notions of gender performativity and queer identities in the Philippines. Miss Gay Philippines pageants has influenced the spread of gay beauty pageants in various ''

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolita ...

s'', local neighborhoods, throughout the Philippines. These gay beauty pageants often serve as fundraisers for local ''

'' communities. Many Miss Gay Philippines contestants have participated in these smaller gay beauty pageants. Miss Gay Philippines pageants have also extended over to nations where Filipinos have migrated. LGBT Filipino immigrants have held similar Miss Gay Philippines pageants in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Notable participants

2011 Miss Gay Philippines — Universe titleholder

Trixie Maristela Trixie Maristela (born April 30, 1986) is a Filipina actress, model, beauty queen titleholder as well as a European Languages graduate from the University of the Philippines based in Queensland, Australia. She finished her master's degree in Pro ...

was crowned

, the largest trans beauty pageant in the world, in 2015. Maristela is the second entrant from the Philippines to win the title. Maristela has since appeared on Filipino television shows such as GMA's ''

Karelasyon ''Karelasyon'' () is a Philippine television drama anthology broadcast by GMA Network. Hosted by Carla Abellana, it premiered on April 11, 2015 on the network's Sabado Star Power line up replacing ''GMA Tales of Horror''. The show concluded on ...

'' and ''Magkapailanman''. Ian Valdez, an actor who has appeared in Tagalog films such as Woman of Breakwater, was a Miss Gay Philippines contestant.

Controversies

Miss Gay Philippines, along with other Filipino gay beauty pageants, are a large part of

LGBT culture in the Philippines The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in the Philippines have a distinctive culture in society, and also have limited legal rights. Gays and lesbians are more tolerated than accepted in Filipino society. Despite recent ...

. However, Filipino gay beauty pageants, according to Justin Francis Bionat of the Filipino LGBT magazine Outrage Magazine, "do not necessarily promote being LGBT, as much as exploit those who join them." Erriz Lanceta, the recipient of the 2012 Miss Gay Philippines — Universe title, came under fire for

transphobic Transphobia is a collection of ideas and phenomena that encompass a range of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger tow ...

comments made toward

Miss Universe Canada The Miss Universe Canada or "The Beauties of Canada" is a national beauty pageant in Canada, which sends its winners to the Miss Universe pageant. The Beauties of Canada Organization gained the exclusive rights to send a Canadian representativ ...

contestant Jenna Talackova. Talackova is the first trans woman to compete in the pageant after Miss Universe rules were revised to allow trans women to participate. In an interview with Bombo Radyo Iloilo, Lanceta made remarks toward Talackova and other trans women that questioned their ability to answer questions about being a "real woman." Kristine Coronel and Vodca Dee, original crown holders of Miss Gay Philippines International and Asia Pacific 2015 respectively, were dethroned from their titles and as members of the Betera Group for repeated violation of section (e) of the memorandum of agreement for Miss Gay Philippines winners that prohibits talent from participating in lesser pageants. Toni Lopez and Tyra Syntangco replaced Kristine Coronel and Vodca Dee, respectively.

References

External links

Miss Gay Philippines — Facebook

Trans Pageantry Philippines
{{LGBT in the Philippines LGBT beauty pageants Beauty pageants in the Philippines Philippine awards LGBT events in the Philippines Transgender beauty pageants 1979 establishments in the Philippines LGBT history in the Philippines