Logistics student from Soweto is Miss Gay Jozi 2016

Roxy Msizi is crowned Miss Gay Soweto

A dazzling 21-year-old logistics student from Soweto has been crowned Johannesburg’s most glittering queen at the fourth annual Miss Gay Jozi 2016 pageant.

Roxy Msizi from Chiawelo, Soweto, walked away with the coveted title at the historic City Hall on Saturday night.

An early frontrunner and a crowd favorite, Roxy wowed the audience with her poise, beauty and dedication to tackling challenges facing the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) community.

“I felt overwhelmed, I was so happy,” she exclaimed after being crowned. “I didn’t expect to win because there were so many beautiful queens in the pageant.”

Roxy, who is also a sexual health peer educator, revealed that among the reasons she entered the contest was to help create awareness around HIV and STIs (sexually transmitted infections) in the LGBTI community.

She further highlighted the reality of persistent homophobia in South African society. “People need to understand that LGBTI people are human. They have feelings, they hurt. They shouldn’t be treated as aliens in their own communities.”

Roxy added: “I also want to show the LGBTI community that being different is not a sin, it is beautiful!”

Roxy Msizi

Pageant Director Dino Abrahams was delighted with the new titleholder. “Roxy is a great choice as Miss Gay Jozi as she has always persevered and has shown real commitment. She represented herself with grace and elegance and I can see why she was the judge’s choice. We would like to welcome her to the family and wish her every bit of success during her reign,” he said.

Miss Gay Jozi 2016 took home a host of prizes, most significantly R6,000 in cash, jewelry and a glittering gown from Malindzi Strong of New York City, valued at R16,000.

At the end of the night, the beauty was flanked by two other stunners: 1st Princess Boene Ntshilo, a twenty-something diva from Northcliff, and 2nd Princess Davy Daveria Nantsuky, a 26-year old Customer Service Team Member for Anova Health and a Safety Rep, from Vaal.

Eva (Malolo) Mofokeng, a 27-year-old information technology student, also made an impression and scored the Miss Personality title.

In addition to the contest for the Miss Gay Jozi crown, Saturday night’s audience was treated to classic and contemporary drag performances by hosts Zsa-Zsa Whitney Gabor-Houston and Labelz D’glamour, as well as by Rosslyn Van Der Woodsen Bass, Alexis Phoenix, Foxy and Sjarmante Diamante.