Wellington's annual Mr Gay Wellington pageant will return at Easter 2007, after some delay and debate. The title was not contested this year as the usual venue, ‘Pound' nightclub, closed for business in August. In that club's absence, others made enquiries into taking over the popular event, Pound's co-owner Scott Kennedy-Vaughan explains. “A couple of guys wanted to take over organising the pageant this year, and realised there was no ‘trademark' on it, so they registered it themselves as their trademark,” he reveals. “We got a bit pi**ed off and we challenged it, but we've since had a meeting with the guys and all come to an arrangement – we'll form a committee. None of us wanted a battle – we're going to work together.” The Mr Gay Wellington event started seventeen years ago, as a fundraiser to send a Wellingtonian to the annual ‘Mr Gay New Zealand' pageant, held for the last time in 2000. Kennedy-Vaughan says the current Mr Gay Wellington, James Laverty, has held the title since Labour Day 2005, and will now have ‘an extended reign' until Easter 2007, when the event will be held in ‘iMerst' nightclub. Ref: GayNZ.com (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Tuesday, 12th December 2006 - 12:00pm