The life of a professional drag queen is all about glamour, and in Sydney on Monday the best in the industry were given star treatment as they came together for the 2007 DIVA awards. Dozens of divas arrived at the Randwick Race Course in limousines and cheekily posed for the press in trademark drag queen fashion. Just getting out of the cars was a challenge for some whose outfits included elaborate headwear and dresses. The Drag Industry Variety Awards (DIVA) is an annual event set up to recognise and celebrate the best Drag Queens in Sydney, Australia's drag capital. "Tonight for me is just a great night where we can all get together, celebrate our industry and celebrate the people that do the very best with our work," said Wellington drag icon Carmen, now a Sydney resident. Twenty awards are presented on the night, voted on by a mixture of judge panellist and industry and community members. The most coveted awards are Entertainer of the Year, Hall of Fame and Bitch of the Year. Chairman of the DIVA awards Paul Croft says the DIVA Awards are very important to the community, not just to have fun but to raise awareness for gay issues such as equality and HIV/AIDS. "It is a great way we can all come together, you don't really have many nights now in Sydney we can actually come in, get dressed up and have a great time and at the end of the day we are also raising money for the AIDS council of New South Wales," he said. Organisers expect to raise roughly AUS$10,000 (NZ$11,500) from the night. Mini Cooper was awarded Sydney's Favourite Drag Queen and prestigious Top Entertainer award, while Beyonce G Spot received the rising DIVA award. The Mardi Gras fundraiser 'Sleaze Ball' is the next big event on Sydney's gay community calendar, planned for Saturday 29th September. Pictures from the 2007 DIVA Awards will shortly be added to the official website on the link below. Ref: DIVA Awards, GayNZ.com (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 22nd August 2007 - 9:12pm