During a time of insecurity and uncertainty for the LGBTI community in Brazil, Mr Gay Brazil Raphael Anjos wants his involvement at Mr Gay World to provide an opportunity for their voice to be heard.
Growing up in the Brazilian capital, Brasília, Anjos has yet to explore countries outside of his own continent but is excited by his visit to Cape Town and the possibilities of exchange to other places in the future to improve his English.
“Participating in the Mr Gay World 2019 will allow me an unprecedented exchange of experiences,” Anjos explained to Gay Nation.
“I will have the opportunity to share with other Misters what it means to be gay in Brazil and to know the reality of different countries.
“In addition, we can build a network of support and empowerment for the LGBTQI community.”
“I believe that the visibility that the contest brings must be explored to raise sensitive issues such as health, rights and equity for the global LGBTQI population.”
In 2019 it was not possible to conduct the Brazil national competition so Raphael Anjos was nominated from 20 other openly gay candidates.
After careful consideration and thoughts regarding the current political climate in his country, Anjos decided that the competition as for him.
“I talked to some friends and former colleagues from another contest that I participated before and everyone encouraged me to participate. My family also supported me greatly and this filled me with enthusiasm. Having my husband’s support was critical to my decision.
“Brazil is experiencing a difficult time of insecurity and uncertainty for the LGBTI community and I saw in this pageant an opportunity to give my contribution and fight for our voice to be heard.
“I had a short conversation with Mister Gay World 2017, John Fernandez Raspado, and I told him how happy I was to participate in this pageant. John was very solicitous and gave me valuable insights into how transformative this experience can be.
“I studied quite a lot and I saw several actions promoted by the former winners during their reign years and this gave me an overview of how Mister Gay World can contribute to the LGBTQI community.
“If I win, I hope to be a spokesperson taking information and helping the younger generations understand the importance of our struggles.”
Anjos knows the competition in Cape Town will be tough but believes the Brazilian spirit of joy and energy will give him strength throughout the event.
“I know that all the candidates have strong personalities and are very dedicated, but I believe that my Brazilian spirit stands out to me.
“We Brazilians are known for our joy, for our energy and for the light way of living life, these are characteristics that I want to make evident, believing that they will give me the strength to do an excellent job during the contest and who knows, during the reign!
Mr Gay Brazil will join 23 others from around the globe for Mr Gay World in Cape Town South Africa from April 28 to May 4 and Gay Nation is there to cover all the action.
Last Updated on Apr 29, 2019
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