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LATIN EXPLOSION! - Gia, Miss Gay Latina looks back on exciting year

LATIN EXPLOSION! - Gia, Miss Gay Latina looks back on exciting year
by Sara Michelle Fetters Last Saturday, June 11, the Scottish Rite Masonic Theater was the site of the 2005 Mr./Miss/Ms. Gay Latina Pageant. A colorful, bouncy and vibrantly alive affair, the pageant was a sparkling cavalcade of stunning costumes, sterling performances and glistening ethnic pride. One of the best and most festive pageants of the year, standing proudly above it all was the reigning 2004-2005 Miss Gay Latina Gia, gorgeously resplendent in a variety of gowns and costumes celebrating her successful year in the title. Between sets, I was lucky enough to get a chance to speak with Gia. In a fun, lively and informative conversation, the popular Drag performer touched on a variety of subjects that reflected her deep love and commitment to the Latino LGBT community. Here are some highlights from that interview. Sara Fetters: Congratulations on your year as Miss Gay Latina, Gia. You must be very proud. Looking back, what stands out? Gia: Thank you Sara, as a matter of fact, yes, I am very proud. In fact, the most joy I get is when I look and see the Latino community and how it is now so involved with other organizations and communities besides our own. During my reign has Miss Gay Latina I think everything I did stands out. I am proud to say I have been the first Miss Gay Latina to join the Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle [ISCSORE] and network with the Anglo Saxon community. As well as the first Miss Gay Latina to be invited to so many diverse functions as a judge and/or special performer. My reign itself also stands out in another way; I being the youngest Miss Gay Latina to ever hold this title. SF: Anything you wish you could have done that you didnt get the opportunity to do? G: When I stepped up as Miss Gay Latina, I set goals to accomplish throughout my reign. I had to go through some struggles to fulfill these goals. Still, even though I can now look back and think that, if I had a team, we could of have accomplished more, my reign was still very successful and Im very happy with what I achieved. SF: What exactly are the responsibilities of a Gay Latina? What makes this title any different than the numerous other Drag titles out there? G: The duties and the responsibilities of a Miss Gay Latina include being very active in our Latino community by doing public appearances to promote LGBT issues to the heterosexual Latino population as well as to represent Seattles LGBT Latino community in other states Latino pageants. SF: How is your ethnicity important to you? In what ways does it matter the most? G: My ethnicity makes me who I am. It speaks to where I come from, who I am, connecting me to my family, my values, my culture and my beliefs. Through my ethnicity, I was raised with very strong values. Thusly, my family is one of the most important parts of my life. SF: The least? G: The least part that I like about my ethnicity is that we are still considered a minority, when basically you turn around and so many job duties in all aspects of life are being fulfilled by Latinos. We should no longer be considered a minority; we should consider a majority. SF: As a performer, who do you look up to? Anyone in particular? G: The city of Seattle has many wonderful performers that a new performer can look up to and say, I want to be like that. On the other hand, I dont personally have a performer I look up to. We, as major performers I feel, always look up to one another and pickup ideas from all of us which may benefit our own future performances. SF: It has been said that, in Seattle at least, Drag is a dying art form. How would you respond to that? G: In my opinion Drag is not a dying art form. The city of Seattle unfortunately demands too much from performers! The new generation feels like they cannot fill our shoes and, what they dont seem to realize, is it aint about filling anyones shoes, it is instead about being yourself, being true to your art. SF: What advice would you have for this years Gay Latina Pageant winners, Mrs. Gay Latina Donatella, Mr. Gay Latina Angel and Ms. Gay Latina Chicaboom? G: The advice I give all of them is to have patience, dedication and a willingness to volunteer time towards our Latino community. But, most of all, always be proud of your heritage. It makes you who you are. SF: Whats next? Where does Gia go from here? G: In the immediate future, I need some time to relax and time to enjoy my family, friends and whomever else may come along. I would also like to focus more on my studies and fulfill all of my scholastic goals.