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Finding Canada’s voice

Whistler set to play host to the first Mr. Gay Canada competition
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Ready to Represent Delegates pose during the 2007 International Mr. Gay finale. One competitor will be selected to represent Canada at this year's competition.

Canada may have an international reputation as being a gay-friendly country, but at least one member of the local community feels that we could be doing more to help other nations become as accepting as our home and native land.

Dean Nelson organizes Whistler’s WinterPRIDE event each winter, and he recently bought out his partners to become CEO of Gay Whistler, bringing in a new partner, Ken Coolen, the parade director of VancouverPRIDE, to help out.

Now, Nelson has taken on a new task — coordinating the first annual Mr. Gay Canada competition, which takes place in Whistler Sept. 18-21.

The concept certainly isn’t new; the International Mr. Gay competition has been around for about five years. But this is actually the first year Canada has held a national qualifying competition to appoint a representative for our country.

“Last year, we actually appointed a delegate for Canada to go through the competition and just see how it was from a delegate’s point of view,” Nelson explained, “so that when we’re creating our own full-fledged competition, which is happening this year, we’ll be better ready to really groom that delegate so they can compete effectively on a world stage.”

So far, the response both locally and further abroad to the Canadian competition has been very positive.

Nine delegates from across the country, including Ontario, Saskatchewan and B.C., are participating. There were a few registered delegates from the Yukon Territories, Manitoba and Nova Scotia, but they had to withdraw from the competition for various reasons.

Next year, organizers are hoping they see more applicants from across the country.

“I think some of the guys were just a little bit intimidated as to what the expectations were, so they’re just going to be… sitting back a little bit, watching to see how the first year competition plays out and what it really means,” Nelson explained. “…We have some amazing delegates that will be competing, so we’re really happy with the talent.”

And why hold the fledgling national event here in Whistler?

“Whistler really celebrates being you, and being you can be a 50-year-old ski bum to a high powered executive from New York, to being gay, to being straight, it doesn’t matter,” Nelson said. “Whistler is a community that really celebrates the environment of being yourself.”

Living in this town for almost 15 years, Nelson has witnessed the laidback local gay community evolve and change quite a bit over that period of time.

“The Whistler gay community, over the last couple years, is becoming a little bit more strong. It seems like in years passed, gays and lesbians who have come up to the resort just got burnt out of the city and so they’re not really into creating an open community, so to speak. They’ve been there, done that, so they’re in a partnered relationship or they’re just focusing on career and they’re just getting away from the crazy community.”

A lot of local businesses have also really stepped up to show their support for the inaugural competition, including the Fairmont Chateau Whistler has come on board as the host hotel.

Judges include Maureen Douglas of VANOC, a representative from the Fairmont, one from Sydney, Australia, representing the International Mr. Gay competition, and one from Norway, representing Mr. Gay Europe. They’ll be judging everything from the swimsuit competition to the EcoChallenge, looking at who is comfortable in their own skin, commands a presence and will best represent Canada on the world stage.

“We’re looking for someone who is going to be very charismatic and is going to be a leader in our community,” Nelson added.

International competition organizers are apparently very pleased to see that Canada is finally hosting its first national event.

“It’s interesting because in Canada, our gay community is sort of complacent a little bit, because we are treated as equal humans here in our country,” Nelson said. “…So having this type of competition might not have been as important in years past, but as we look beyond our borders and see that we still have issues in other countries, then maybe there’s an opportunity for us, as the Mr. Gay Canada organization, to help support and lend our hands to those other nations.”

He is quick to point out that there is a greater purpose to the competition than just having fun — it’s about humanizing gay issues and giving youth a positive role model to look up to.

“The biggest thing that we’re really getting out there is that this is not a pageant, it’s not a Miss Universe or Miss Canada type of competition,” Nelson added. “This competition is really looking for an ambassador, a leader in our community who is actually going to be out in the community, both locally, nationally and internationally, and really telling people that, ‘hey, it’s okay to be gay,’ because you know, in over 70 countries worldwide, it’s still illegal to be a homosexual, and in seven of those countries, it is punishable by death.”

That said, there are definitely fun elements to the three-day competition, which features photo challenges at Lost Lake and the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, meals at South Side Diner, Monk’s Grill, Bearfoot Bistro and Elements Urban Tapas Lounge, and an EcoChallenge organized by Coast Mountain Guides. The weekend of events and competitions wraps up with a party at Maxx Fish on Saturday night, where all members of the public are welcome to come out and meet the delegates.

“We’re going to have a fashion aspect to it,” Nelson explained, though he was quick to point out that it isn’t at all like a beauty pageant. “We have a couple other neat little surprises that we don’t want to give away too much, but it’s going to be a really, really fun show and Maxx Fish is going to put on a great show afterwards, and we have some great entertainment lined up.”