OUT to crown Miss Gay IU

Dancing, props, costumes and even a catwalk will cover the IU Auditorium stage Friday.

The 19th annual Miss Gay IU pageant will take place at 7 p.m. Friday in the IU Auditorium. Members of OUT and Britney Taylor, the 2008 Miss Gay IU, who chose the theme “Angel Fashion Show,” organized this year’s pageant.

To compete, contestants must be Indiana residents. This year, there are about eight contestants.

“The contestants usually try to go up and beyond,” said sophomore Phillip Shonkwiler, director of outreach for OUT GLBT Student Union.

OUT president and junior Josh Sutton said the pageant is not only about finding a winner, but also about honoring the current Miss Gay IU for the work she has done.

Ten percent of the money the pageant raises each year is donated to the current Miss Gay IU’s charity of choice. This year, the money will be donated to Indiana Youth Group in Indianapolis, a center that supports young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning.

“The winner works with us to help better the community through entertainment,” Sutton said.

The pageant will include evening gown, talent and question-and-answer categories. Also, each contestant will have a formal interview with the judges before the pageant, which can be done in or out of drag.

There will be entertainment between the categories, including performances from past winners of the pageant.  

A step show performed by Theta Nu Xi and a song performed by the current Miss IU Maggie Delaney will follow intermission.

OUT secretary and junior Kadie Dunkel said the pageant will include 13 entertainers and is known for being one of the biggest drag pageants in the country.

Sutton said he wants people who have never been to the pageant to come and have a good time in the audience.

For an hour before the show and during intermission, a resource fair will take place in the auditorium’s hall of murals. There will be booths about the pageant’s sponsors, student groups and sexual health information.

Sutton said the fair is another way to educate the audience.

OUT adviser Helen Harrell said the pageant is an event that exposes its audience to different kinds of diversity and gender issues while providing entertainment.

Shonkwiler said the seven judges all have some knowledge of drag, and OUT tries to keep the pageant close to the format of a national or state-level pageant.

“The pageant is considered competitive on the national market,” Harrell said.

Sutton said the pageant expanded from only IU students to help bring multiple perspectives to the contest.

“It’s one of the biggest cultural events on campus,” he said.