Greetings everyone,
August has come and gone, and with that we are one month closer to this year’s Miss Gay America pageant! L’oreal and I have had the privilege of gaining the support of people from border to border in our state, and my list of sponsors that is to be read during the Evening Gown category continues to grow. It truly takes a village, and I am overwhelmed with all the outreach and people that have simply touched base passing on their words of wisdom that are putting my mindset right together!
August was a busy month filled with bonding opportunity after bonding opportunity. The first weekend in August I traveled down to Saint Louis with one of our board members, Ricky McRoy, behind the wheel. When I tell you that I have never traveled so fast before on land, I mean it… If you are ever in a pinch and need to get from Saint Louis to Kansas City in 40 minutes flat, he’s the person to call! We arrived in Saint Louis during the afternoon, where I had the honor of overseeing a Promoter’s Meeting that was organized with some of the best our state has to offer. The luncheon and open forum that was provided was very constructive and led to opportunities of growth in friendship and sisterhood. That evening, Jade Sinclair organized a benefit that has assisted with covering costs for Memphis, Tennessee. Having Promoters come together from across the state to support me in my quest to become the next Miss Gay America was very touching. The familiar faces that were dispersed across the audience - from board members, promoters from other states, and contestants/sisters that I have previous competition history with - was so exciting to see!
The weekend of August 15th led me to travel back to one of my favorite cities to perform in, Saint Joseph, Missouri! The crowd that Saint Joseph offers month after month will always have a special place in my heart, and this show was no different. While the night was quite interesting - tossing technical difficulty after technical difficulty the entertainers’ ways - the audience continued to be engaged with excitement that the show must go on! This evening will HOPEFULLY be one for the history books, as I doubt it can be replicated… let’s keep our fingers crossed!
The last weekend in August I traveled back to Saint Louis where I special guested in the Miss Gay Midwest Regional pageant where two lucky contestants received some of the last tickets that this year of pageantry has to offer for the big national dance! Upon arrival at the pageant, I was greeted by some of my favorite sisters in the dressing room. It felt like home having multiple former Miss Gay Missouri’s to share the dressing room with. Sharing the room with Melinda Ryder, Vicki Valentino, Kathy Klein, Jade Sinclair and Christa Collins (while feeling like packed sardines) will be yet another memory that goes in the books for me! We hooted, bumped elbows, giggled at silly banter, assisted each other with costume changes, and put on one heck of a show as we celebrated Vicki’s last steps as the reigning Miss Gay Midwest. At the end of the evening, it was Adria Andrews who was crowned (yet another former Miss Gay Missouri), and it was quite an honor to see her in this shining moment!
Preliminaries for Miss Gay Missouri 2016 are fast approaching, and I yet again recommend that everyone get their tickets as soon as possible! This coming month we have two preliminaries, and over the next three months we have a total of FIVE preliminaries!
Procrastination is a thing of the past, and in order to be your best you must take advantage of the present. While sometimes things can seem comfortable, I highly encourage all of you to make the most of every minute and challenge that comfort-ability. With each minute that passes in procrastination, there goes a minute that we could soon regret as we get near the hustle and bustle of what could turn into last-minute preparations. Listed below is our full schedule of preliminaries for the coming year. Please make note and make your plans to return accordingly.
Saturday, September 19th – Miss Gay Metropolitan, Missouri
Theme – Singing in the Reign; honoring the reigning Kyla Breeze
Location – Saint Joseph, MO, at Headquarters Nightclub
Promoted by Daniel Flier and Kyla Breeze
Saturday, September 26th – Miss Gay Gateway, Missouri
Theme – Planet Soul; honoring the reigning Musica Malone
Location – Saint Louis, MO, at the Grey Fox
Promoted by Karma Kassidy (Greg Coleman) and Lola Vergara (Luis Acevedo)
Saturday, October 24th – Miss Gay Saint Louis, Missouri
Theme – Heaven of Hell; honoring the reigning Melissa Marnier
Location – Saint Louis, MO, at the Grey Fox
Promoted by Jade Sinclair (Michael Klataske)
Saturday, November 7th – Miss Gay Springfield, Missouri
Theme – 50 Shades of Pink; honoring the reigning Diva Coppafeel
Location – Springfield, MO, at the Ramada Oasis Hotel and Convention Center
Promoted by Vince Edwards and Autumn Holiday
Saturday, November 21st – Miss Gay Northwest, Missouri
Theme –Grace and Glamour; honoring the reigning L’oreal
Location – Saint Joseph, MO, at Headquarters Nightclub
Promoted by Dustin Mathews and Bianca Bliss (Patrick Hall)
Saturday, January 16th - Miss Gay Heart of Missouri
Theme – To Be Announced; honoring the reigning Destiny Michelle
Location – Saint Joseph, MO, at Headquarters Nightclub
Promoted by Amanda Lay
Saturday, March 12th – Miss Spirit of Saint Louis, Missouri
Theme – A Night in Olympus - Goddesses; honoring the reigning Cierra St. James-Monet
Location – Saint Louis, MO, at the Grey Fox
Promoted by Rolanda Devereux (Orlando Burton)
TBD – Miss Gay Kansas City, Missouri
Theme – Welcome to the Jungle; honoring the reigning Moltyn Decadence
Location – Kansas City, MO at Missie B’s
Promoted by L’Oreal (Jeff Hickman) and Valari Knyte (Grover Vermillion)
Please remember, I am just a phone call away. If at any time you have a question or need a sounding board I AM HERE FOR YOU! I am so excited to see what all of you plan to bring this year, and if there is anything I can do provide a peace of mind please reach out!
Sounding Off For September,
Kyla Breeze,
MGMA 2015
Dear Friends,
Where has the summer gone? I always look forward to this time of year, when the weather cools and Miss Gay America approaches! As a young competitor I was always focused on Miss Gay Missouri and its local preliminaries. My initial goal was to capture the title of Miss Gay Missouri and then retire from pageantry. I respected and appreciated Miss Gay America - but it wasn't my dream. On a whim, I attended final night of Miss Gay America in 2006 as a spectator and it fueled my fire to win MGM. I attended MGA again in 2008 as a competitor (representing Missouri). I was very quiet and kept to myself. As a result, I denied myself the full experience. Miss Gay America isn't just about competition, it's also about building relationships. After returning home, I felt I could do better. I wanted to go back and prove myself. I qualified and returned again in 2009, finishing 7th overall. I was beyond excited. This made me wonder if MGA was possible?
So why mention MGA in a newsletter geared for MGM? In part because we learn from experience. And with MGA being so close to our state (Memphis, Tenn. in October), I wanted to encourage hopeful future MGM's to take the time to attend the pageant and learn more about the system. The Miss Gay America system teaches it's followers ways to improve your craft - pay close attention to detail, take time to make sure you are 100% ready for each of the five categories. Experience attending or participating in MGA will make you a stronger competitor for Miss Gay Missouri. At the national level, you can see how our craft is different in other areas of the country, and you can learn from those with very different ideas.
Of course, attending is also the chance to cheer on our Missouri contingent (Kyla and L'Oreal) and those who qualified through regional contests (Adria and Christa)! One of our residents could be the next Miss Gay America! They may also need help with props, and you can make a difference to them by being there! Competition aside, it is a great networking opportunity. I look forward to attending this year and seeing "sisters" and friends that I have not seen since last year.
Locally, our city prelims have begun, and more are just around the corner. MGM is very much a mini-MGA! If you want to succeed, take the time to experience the system. Attend other pageants and see what other people are doing. Learn from those across our state. Watch Kyla Breeze (our reigning symbol of excellence) so that YOU know the job and can prepare yourself to assume the responsibilities. Don't be afraid to say hello to others and build connections.
Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend, and enjoy the beautiful weather before Winter sets in.
Jade Sinclair/Michael Klataske
MGMA 2007
