12 August 2021 02:37 am Views - 2060
Sri Lankan activist and model Ram Dulip Randombage will be representing his country as Sri Lanka’s first ever Mr. Gay World
The unique factor of this competition however, is that it is not a beauty pageant
The mission of its organisers is to establish ambassadors for LGBT and human rights, through this platform
For the first time in Sri Lankan history a popular rights activist and model will be representing the country at an International competition which is also a platform for LGBT and Human Rights.
Mr. Gay World is an annual International contest for gay men, with winners of national contests competing as delegates in a variety of categories. The unique factor of this competition however, is that it is not a beauty pageant. The competition also has no discriminatory age limit. The mission of its organisers is to establish ambassadors for LGBT and human rights, through this platform to shed light on issues and challenges faced by LGBT people worldwide.
Its founders Eric Butter and Dean Nelson embarked on a mission to create a global competition that would inspire and empower gay men to come together in a public performance that would show the world that being gay encompasses a broad spectrum. Their mission is to demonstrate that both inward beauty and physical appearance are equally important as is leadership and confidence. The competition also seeks to bring representatives from diverse backgrounds together where they would share their experiences to open both each others’ as well as the public’s eyes that in many regions, being gay is a challenge and a fight for basic human rights.
The primary purpose of Mr. Gay World is to identify leaders who will take responsibility of being a spokesperson not only in his own community but on a global stage speaking out for equal and human rights. Mr Gay World is a role model and will work on humanizing being gay and/or LGBTI in the media both LGBTI and mainstream.
Sri Lanka’s representative Ram Dulip is a professional model, actor and a social media influencer, who was also the only Sri Lankan candidate to be nominated to represent the country at the Commonwealth Youth Council Committee Election. Since his public disclosure as a gay individual, has strived to serve young and marginalised groups to gain confidence, a sense of identity and belonging.
Ram’s activism however has not been without its challenges, as harassment from fellow content creators and influencers owing to his identity continued unabated. However Ram took this as an opportunity to create awareness about harassment especially on social media, in order to protect LGBTQI individuals from being discriminated against. Ram is also vocal on mental health challenges which enabled him to reach out to more individuals who had undergone similar experiences. Ram continues to shed light on issues faced by his community and is optimistic that the Mr. Gay World Platform will further encourage him to continue his work.