At nearly 420
pounds, Stavros Louca knows he’s not exactly what people think of when they
imagine a beauty contest winner. But he was determined to enter the recent
London heat of Mr. Gay U.K., a nationwide search for the hottest out man in the
British Isles (and a precursor to Mr. Gay World).
He didn’t
expect to win—it was a confidence booster, and maybe a chance to meet a
guy. “My main reason to enter and go that night was just hoping that Mr.
Right was out there for me,” he says in an interview with The
Guardian, below.
He’s been
harassed about his size since childhood, revealing, “I got bullied when I first
came out, from other pupils. They all reacted, saying, ‘He’s so fat, he’s just
gay cause he can’t get a woman.” And, he says, it’s not much better today.
“Even now, when I attend gay bars, clubs, and cruising areas, people are
picking on me, insulting me because of my obesity.”
It’s
appalling, but not unexpected. Body-shame issues plague the gay community, and
a recent survey revealed 48% of gay men would give up a year or more of their
lives to have “the perfect body.”
So, yes, when
Stavros arrived at competition, the reaction was not pleasant: He recalls the
laughter and pointing when he walked in, and other contestants saying “Mate,
you’ll never get through. Look at ya.”
But he stuck
to his guns and dazzled the audience with humor, dancing and even some
signing—and went on to win the whole shebang.
Unfortunately,
Louca’s victory was short-lived—organizers disqualified him two days later for
not wearing his briefs properly during the contest’s beefcake segment. (He
wrapped them around his head like a beret.)
He might have
had his trophy snatched away, but Stavros still won our hearts.
Good for him! You can't undo the past!
ReplyDeleteGREAT for him!
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