Keilor Downs drag queen Lydia Vanity may not have taken out the top gong at last month’s Miss Gay & Miss Transsexual Australia International beauty pageant, but she didn’t walk away empty-handed.
Steven Charles, who transforms into Lydia Vanity when in drag, was crowned Miss Ticket Sales after a strong performance at the pageant, which was held at the St Kilda Town Hall on Saturday, January 27.
After being named as Miss Gay Congeniality in 2016 and finishing as the third runner-up in 2017, Mr Charles said the strong performance confirmed Lydia Vanity is the best version of his drag persona.
However, he had a much stronger reason for entering.
“I hope to raise awareness about ovarian cancer by competing for the third time in the pageant,“ Mr Charles said.
“I enjoy performing, but the real attraction to this event was raising awareness and some money.”
Although he enjoys entertaining, Mr Charles said there’s a lot of misconceptions when it comes to drag.
“A lot of people think it’s just about dressing up, but there’s much more to it.
“We make our own costumes, do our own makeup and pick the number we’re going to perform. Some days it takes me up to four hours to get ready.”
