In England there is a new Mr. Drag England and a Mr. Gay Europe.
On August 20, the grand finale for the election of Mr. Gay England, Mr. Drag England and Mr. Gay Europe took place. In this important event three wonderful men could win the popular titles. Mr. Gay Europe became last year's Mr. Gay England Paul Dennison. The title of Mr. Drag England went to Lavender Love.
The coveted title of "Mr. Gay England" was awarded to David Allwood. He stood out from the crowd for a variety of reasons. With a clear declaration of love to the community during the show, he was certainly able to win over numerous new fans. But what is there to report about the new Mr. Gay England and what is behind the competition, which is also enjoying increasing popularity among non-queers?
The Mr. Gay England contest in detail
In essence, the Mr. Gay England election is similar to other relevant events. All candidates must successfully complete several rounds in order to ultimately win the competition. In said rounds, the candidates have to show what they have to offer on the catwalk. In the dance rounds, it's all about letting the hips gyrate. And of course there is also a round in swimwear. Cliché? Maybe.
At this point, however, it should be mentioned that participants could also collect additional bonus points if they were involved in social and charitable causes. There was also a big quiz on the topic of LGBTQIA+, the results of which were included in the decision. In the end, it was not only the judges Jane Percy (Duchess of Northumberland), Pam Royle (news anchor) and Katie Bulmer-Cooke (TV star) who decided, but also the audience.
Who is David Allwood?
This year's winner of the Mr. Gay England competition is 34-year-old choreographer David Allwood. The likeable man lives with his partner, whom he married six years ago, in the English capital and world metropolis London. The new Mr. Gay England could convince not only with his performance, but also with his charity work for the LGBTQIA+ community.
When the worldwide pandemic forced London into lockdown, Allwood had the idea to start a production company called "Homoparody", which made it its business to actively support the community in England. Incidentally, it was this work that motivated him to enter the competition in the first place. He told PinkNews that his participation gave him the opportunity to make people's voices heard.
He proved his love for the community when he came on stage at the aforementioned swimwear round with a very special swimsuit. This was namely dipped in the flag colors of the transgender flag. And that's exactly what caused a lot of positive feedback from the audience (and the jury).
However, Allwood doesn't want to rest on his title. He would rather use it to do active work for the LGBTQIA+ community. His biggest goal is to encourage people to be open about their sexuality. He also wants to target the older generation and show them how important equality and tolerance are in today's world. Many of them were still brought up with different values and are accordingly skeptical about the scene. Not necessarily out of "ill will", but simply because they didn't learn otherwise in their childhood.
By the way, in Austria the blood donation procedure for gays is changed