The down low on Hoosier Daddy and Miss Gay IU from OUT President Joshua Sutton

IDS reporter Julia Haller interviewed OUT president Joshua Sutton about the ins and outs of Miss Gay IU and Hoosier Daddy.

IDS: What do the Miss Gay IU and Hoosier Daddy contests do for members of the GLBT community?

Sutton: Drag usually gets a bad rep for what it is, but the truth is that drag has a strong grass root into the GLBT community. It’s about self-expression and empowering those to be who they are.

That doesn’t mean that every GLBT person wants to portray the opposite gender, but it’s creative. Miss Gay IU has grown to be the largest attended drag pageant in the nation. It started out as a safe opportunity for students to perform in drag and raise money for organizations. In terms of Hoosier Daddy, it started four years ago because of (then-Miss Gay IU) Vanessa Vale.

The drag king is becoming more popular within the community ... The currently reigning (winner) works with the organization. The few past years the winners haven’t been IU students so it is a good ambassador to the community because they are from out of town. It bridges the gap between IU and the community.

IDS: On the Web site it says that in its first year the Hoosier Daddy contest had more viewers than the first couple of years of the Miss Gay IU pageant. Why do you think this was?

Sutton: I think it’s the time we are in. It’s a lot better than what it was ten years ago. I think Miss Gay IU segued the success for another type of drag pageant because it has been going on for years and is a large event. Hoosier Daddy is something new — women dressing as men.

It is something that is not very predominant in the Bloomington community. I think the power of being able to hold the event without being criticized is what brought more people to Hoosier Daddy. There were administrators and representatives that tried to stop the (Miss Gay IU) pageant from being held.

IDS: What do the Miss Gay IU and Hoosier Daddy winners do after they have won the crown?

Sutton: They are responsible for attending a number of social gatherings and executive meetings. Usually those who are crowned are drag entertainers who are much more comfortable with themselves so it is cool for those who are new to the scene to see how these people’s lives have evolved, how they are changing the community through entertainment.

If there is any type of drag entertainment the King and Queen are supposed to entertain ... Chanel Cartier has performed at other college campuses and walked in the gay pride parade to show our organization’s support. It’s about what they do with it, because in the past several years they have gone above and beyond to represent our organization. They are there to educate people and raise money and awareness. If you have a 6-foot drag queen in the room you are going to listen to them about awareness.

IDS: What do these events do for the straight Bloomington community?

Sutton: Bloomington was announced as the 4th gayest city in America. One of the big factors was the attention focused on the University. Hoosier Daddy isn’t so much a controversy in terms of the art form and maybe the overpowering size of Miss Gay is what causes more controversy.

In terms of the community, the Miss Gay IU pageant brings back a lot of alumni to the university who then bring their allies or straight friends. For those living here, I have never had any problems with the straight members of the community. It has been more problematic from members of the gay community who try to cause problems. I think the straight community accepts it pretty nicely.