Cape Town to the rescue as rainbow pageant kicks off in the Rainbow Nation

When organisers of the 11th Mr Gay World pageant were left scrambling to find a new host city less than a year before the event, Cape Town came to the rescue.

“We were very glad that we could step in and host the event,” mayoral committee member JP Smith said during the opening of the festivities Monday at the President Hotel in Sea Point. “We understand full well that this is a straight-friendly gay community.”

The week-long competition was originally planned to take place in Hong Kong, before the hosting company pulled its plans due to a clampdown from Chinese authorities on LGBTQ events.

“The safety of our delegates and their families is of utmost importance,” said Eric Butter, president and founder of Mr Gay World, after being forced to change its location.

“I’m pleased that we will once again work with South Africa and their supporting LGBTQ community.”

Mr Gay World has been held in South Africa three different years, including in Cape Town in 2015. The pageant aims to give platforms to gay role models to address ongoing issues of homophobia, acceptance and inclusion.

“It’s not about wanting to be someone,” Butter said. “Mr Gay World is about wanting to do something.”

Twenty-two contestants will compete for points to evaluate fitness, intelligence and style. They must also design social responsibility campaigns that confront challenges like ongoing discrimination, mental health and legal barriers in the LGBTQ community.

“Corrective rape is very high on my agenda, and it’s something that keeps me awake at night,” said Mr Gay World South Africa 2019 Chris Emmanuel, who added that he was afraid of being abandoned by his family when he came out.

“Young kids that come out to their parents and are literally thrown out onto the streets. This doesn’t just happen in the townships.”

The week continues with a triathlon and community-building exercises in Khayelitsha, before wrapping up on Saturday with the finale at Cape Town city hall.