Contestants compete for Hoosier Daddy title

On Thursday, three IU students dressed up as drag kings and practiced their masculine mannerisms to compete in this year’s Hoosier Daddy competition.\nAs the second annual Hoosier Daddy began, each contestant did a performance act in which they danced and lip synced to the song of his choice. Each was also asked one question concerning their role if they were to win the title of Hoosier Daddy. \n“I was definitely nervous,” said Christina Sell, this year’s Hoosier Daddy winner. “My heart was racing. You never know what to expect. It’s a live show, so it was really nerve racking. I’m kind of shy so getting in front of all those people was hard.”\nThis was Sell’s, or Duke McAllister’s, second year in the competition. Sell came in third place last year out of five contestants.\n“Going into it, it’s pretty up in the air,” Sell said. “I wasn’t sure what the other people were like as performers. My experience last year definitely gave me an advantage, but I was nervous up to the final minute.”\nA group of judges, two of which judged for Miss Gay IU, collaborated after each contestant performed. At the end of the competition, the contestants received feedback concerning their performances.\nThe judges based their decisions on what the category was and how the contestant performed in it. For talent, the judges looked at whether they had practiced lip syncing before. Judges also judged contestant creativity and if it was thought out, said Joshua Sutton, director of promotions for OUT.\n“I learned that in future competitions, I won’t leave the stage because people can’t really see me down on the floor and that I shouldn’t curse as much,” Sell said. “I also learned a lot about how serious people take (the competitions). You can actually make a living out of it. There are people who are really good at what they do.”\nThe show was hosted by current Miss Gay IU India Black, former Miss Gay IU Vanessa Vale and Xavier Brooks, Mr. Gay USA FMI At Large 2007. All three performed throughout the show, giving the audience a taste of what a drag king and drag queen show is like. Last year’s reigning Hoosier Daddy, Tina Barniak, also performed several times throughout the show.\n“We’re still getting people aware that we have a pageant,” Sell said. “Right now, our main focus is trying to spread the word. Most people don’t know we have this competition.”\nOUT, the IU Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Student Union, also took donations at the door which raised $100. Ten percent of the donations will go to a scholarship program that is given to help members of the GLBT, and the rest will go to this year’s upcoming Miss Gay IU competition. Barniak, performing as Aiden, also received $50 during her performance which will go to the GLBT scholarship fund. \n“I choose it because to me they usually do an AIDS benefit, but this is a scholarship where they helped me pay for my books when I needed help,” Barniak said.\nVanessa Vale donated the money received from her performance to Positive Link for HIV testing supplies.\n“When you think about GLBT, there’s a lot of stereotyping with drag queens. We wanted to try to recognize the other spectrum of impersonating the opposite sex,” Sutton said.\nMiss Gay IU, which is also sponsored by OUT, will be held April 18. The theme will be “show girls,” and the proceeds will go to a cancer organization.\n“Just do it,” Barniak said of the Hoosier Daddy competition. “If you’re thinking about doing it next year, don’t be scared – you’re not supposed to be yourself. It’s more then just winning. It’s about what you’re representing.”