A Gulfport, Miss., man whose home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina won the Miss Gay America pageant Sunday night at the Cannon Center.Nicole DuBois (a.k.a. Tommy Davis) was crowned the winner in the national contest for female impersonators.
The pageant system, now in its 34th year, was taken over last February by partners Terry Eason and Larry Tyger of Nesbit, Miss. They moved it to Memphis this year for the first time because of the city's central location.
Structured like the Miss America pageant, Miss Gay America is the finale to state and regional competitions. The final 10 contestants were selected out of 50 who performed in this week's preliminaries at Backstreet, a club in Midtown.
Lasting over five hours and emceed by a crew of former winners, the event ranged from elegant to campy.
Each finalist had two opportunities to score points. In the evening gown competition the men modeled designer dresses, then each answered a randomly chosen question from the audience.
Some questions touched on topics such as gay marriage. Other questions addressed the future of the pageant under new management.
They also were scored in a talent competition. DuBois, who has been performing in drag for 20 years, sang "Home," made popular by Diana Ross in "The Wiz."
"It was a last-minute thing," DuBois said. "I've been staying at friends' houses since I got four feet of water in Gulfport."
Most other candidates lip-synched and danced.
The size-24 Victoria (a.k.a. Victor) Parker, popularly known as Pork Chop, lip-synched a trio of splashy songs from the musical "Dreamgirls."
The Nashville resident, who also holds the title of Miss Gay Tennessee, won third place.
Parker was one of the subjects being followed for a documentary about the pageant, which may premiere next year.
One performer did a Judy Garland imitation, inviting a guest, "Barbra Streisand" (also in drag), to the stage for a duet.
Organizer Larry Tyger said a "little over a thousand" people came out for the contest, including performers and their entourages.
from Commercial Appeal
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