Gay Charity Pageant: Night of fun, awareness

Laughter and applause echoed from the walls of the Merced Women’s Clubhouse on Saturday night as about 200 people cheered on acts put on by drag queens and kings.

The fun, organizers said, was all for a good cause.

Twenty-two performers and five pageant contestants put on their best wigs and attire for the 3M Quad-County Pageant, a charity event formerly known as “Mr. Ms. and Miss Gay Merced.”

This year, the Owl Empire of Stanislaus County Inc., the organization that puts on the event, expanded its reach to include participants and guests from Merced, Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, making it its biggest event yet, according to organizers.

The burlesque-themed event also drew in a panel of judges from across the state, including Orange County, Fresno and San Francisco.

The drag performers and pageant contestants were a mix of gay and straight men and women, and women who impersonate drag queens.

Each pageant contestant was also responsible for addressing the issue of bullying in the LGBTQ community. Each participant spoke about personal encounters with bullying. Continuing education and outreach, they said, is the first step toward ending bullying.

This year’s pageant winners were:

▪ Mr. Gay – Ryan Cree of Stanislaus County

▪ Ms. Gay – “Bernie” of Stanislaus County

▪ Miss Gay – Allana Pillay of Merced County

The show opened with the Labelle song “Lady Marmalade” and featured an appearance by a Patti LaBelle impersonator.

Other numbers included singing, lip syncing, dance and fire-breathing acts. The performers collected money during their acts, which organizers said would go to the charity of the performer’s choice.

The total amount raised was not available. Rick Regur, one of the event organizers, said the event tends to raise about $2,000 every year, but he expects to easily surpass that amount this time around.

Destiny Flores Mistriel of Merced said she has been doing drag for 22 years. At Saturday’s event, she had her family in attendance cheering her on.

The support and acceptance of her family and friends, she said, has been crucial for her success as a drag queen.

Flores Mistriel said she believes the charity event grows in popularity each year because of the positive message it delivers to the community.

“Events like these help youth realize that they have different avenues to express themselves and be themselves,” she said. “It lets them know that they can be accepted for who they are.”

Leilani Price of Fresno was one of the first performers to take the stage. Price said she started doing drag about five years ago after she lost a bet to a friend. She said during her first year doing drag, she raised more than $1,000 for nonprofit Fresno Gay Pride and realized she wanted to continue performing to raise funds for her community.

“We want people to know that this is a positive, successful event that brings (LGBTQ) awareness to the community,” Price said. “We’re having fun but we’re also doing good things.”

Organizers said they were pleased with this year’s outcome. A similar event with a “Casino Royal” theme is planned for Aug. 1 at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center.

This story was originally published June 7, 2015 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Gay Charity Pageant: Night of fun, awareness."