Cape Town -- Puerto Rico’s José López, 32, won the Mr Gay World 2022 held in Cape Town on Saturday evening.
He beat eight finalists for the title of “the hottest male queer activist on earth“.
Tony Ardolino, 30, from the United States, was first runner up and Max Appenroth, 36, from Germany second runner up.
The prestigious event, which was hosted at the Artscape Opera House, had a bit of a hiccup when the organisers made a “mix up” which saw South Africa’s Shanon Kannigan being left out of the competition.
They forgot to call his name when they announced the top seven. The mistake was rectified about 20 minutes later and Kannigan was added as the eighth contender.
“It could have been a mix-up probably with information distributed, I think, it’s a big show, mistakes at times are inevitable,” said spokesperson Ziyanda Yono.
The eligible contenders who strutted down the catwalk included a mix of authors, a lawyer, transgender activist, and a personal trainer from the USA, South Africa, Germany, Philippines, Spain, Puerto Rico, Chile and the Czech and Slovakian Republics, who share a passion for queer activism.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis congratulated the winner.
President and Founder of Mr Gay World organisation, Eric Butter, said he was "highly impressed" by the event and by the calibre of delegates. "This year’s contested amplified the need for greater visibility to the wider LGBTI+ community," said Butter. The entrant of Germany made global history as being the first transgender delegate in the finals of any international contest.
Weekend Argus.