A young trans guy has won the 2016 Mr. Gay Wellington title and in doing so may have become the first trans person to win any Mr. Gay title in New Zealand.
The final of the Mr. Gay Wellington competition was held at the Ivy Bar in Wellington on Sunday night with Adrian Renor taking the title ahead of a strong field from the Capital.
The emotion of the win for Adrian has been explored through a facebook post almost 24 hours following the win.
The 21 year old who suffers from Crohn’s disease said he was very privileged to have even been a part of this competition.
“Winning it wasn’t something that I thought would happen,” Adrian explained on facebook.
“Maybe I’d place, but I never seriously thought I’d win. But I did. And I’m overwhelmed and overjoyed.
“As far as I’m aware, I’m the first trans guy who has won in a Mr. Gay competition in New Zealand.
“When I entered, I did so solely to stand on stage as a transgender man and show others that you do not have to have been born with a penis to be a man.”
Current Mr. Gay New Zealand and former Mr. Gay Wellington Bernard Lee was one of the judges of the competition and very moved by Adrian.
“Adrian is such an enduring and passionate individual. I could not help but felt awe by the struggles he went through as a young disable trans man and still had the strength to put his hands up, volunteered in this competition and did what he did,” Bernard explained to Eikon.
“His honesty and genuine concern for trans communities, sex workers, and the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective had struck a cord in me.
“Furthermore, Adrian was recently nominated to be part InsideOUT which gave him credibility, pushed him over the edge and showed me the qualities of a young role model.
“I have no doubt he will be great representative of our takatāpui / LGBTQIA+ here and he deserves the title Mr. Gay Wellington 2016.”
Alexander Kachfi was named first runner-up in the competition while Mike Byrant is second runner-up.
Last Updated on Oct 26, 2016
The news team for Gay Nation love tips from our readers. Got tips or a news story that you would like published? Go here to tell us something.
Visit the Gay Nation store Now
