Mr. Gay Worldwide
Nearly two dozen men from five continents sashayed down the stage of an Oslo club on Saturday night competing to be crowned Worldwide Mr. Gay, the winner of an international pageant for gay men.
The crowd hooted and cheered as contestants, wearing hotpants, feathered headdresses or cowboy outfits, did their best to woo the eight-judge panel.
The aim of the event was to find a global role model for young men coming to terms with their sexual orientation.
Charl Van den Berg, 28, who runs a restaurant in Cape Town, has won the 2010 Mr Gay World pageant, beating rivals from Australia, Hong Kong, China and Spain, the organizers said on Sunday.
Charl Van den Berg won after four days of competition finished with a walk down a fashion runaway in an Oslo nightclub dressed in skimpy swimwear and various costumes.
The competition is aimed at “finding a leader who can take on the responsibility of being a spokesman for the community and who can also speak out on equality and human rights on the world stage,” a statement said.
Australia’s Byron Adu, 25, who works for the Australian government, was in second place followed by Rick Dean Twombley, 33, a dancer from Hong Kong while Spanish entrant Sergio Lara, a 26-year-old psychologist, came fifth.
Mr Gay Worldwide faced many problems
The event, originally called Mr Gay World, has faced many problems.
Organisers received complaints from the leaders of the Miss World pageant over the use of the “World” label. The event was renamed Worldwide Mr Gay, but organisers say they will revert to calling it Mr Gay World.
Six contestants, from countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, chose not to travel to Norway for fear of harassment at home.
Mr Gay China was chosen in a secret competition after authorities raided the venue where the selection was to have taken place in January. Authorities said the event did not have the proper license.
Mr Gay China said he could face trouble with Chinese authorities when he returned home, but nevertheless travelled to Norway to be an example to others.
“I think that by participating in this competition I will encourage hundreds of thousands of Chinese gays to stand up and come out of the closet,” said Xiaodai Muyi, 26.
