Montreal Crowns First Female Queer of the Year Contest Winner
Montréal, Quebec - The votes have been counted and Tourisme Montréal announced a winner in the 2012 "Queer of the Year" contest.
Ivette Gonzalez-Ale of Brooklyn, New York won the ultimate title after surviving three weeks of caught-on-tape competition with four other competitors. This is the third year Montréal has crowned a queen of all queens and Ivette is the first female to receive the honor! She’s a Cuban-Mexican bombshell with a gutsy spirit and a sassy sense of style that won the hearts, and votes, of many throughout the summer competition.
Funny gal Mikala Bierma led the five finalists on their queer quest and this year’s antics and action included paying homage to Montréal-native Celine Dion and putting a very provocative spin on poutine. The Grand Queer Finale episode, in a series co-produced by digital artist Joe Sabia, goes live today as Ivette is crowned 2012 "Queer of the Year."
A half-hour special about the contest will air on OutTV in Canada this November and will be available online for viewers around the world. In the meantime, freaky aficionados and fans of all that is fierce and fabulous can watch the entire series to see how a brilliant Brooklynite shined brighter than glitter and Gaga to stand out amongst the finalists.
Ivette plans to make the most out of her proud title and contest prizes. Part of her $5,000 CAD winnings will go towards her genderqueer fashion company, Marimacho, and she plans to return soon for a photo shoot with Montréal-based photographer Damian Siqueiros.
In addition to Ivette’s reasons to revisit, summer is still sizzling in Montréal for LGBT travelers and the buzz carries through this fall with events such as The Black & Blue Festival and image+nation, the 24th Annual Montréal International LGBT Film Festival.
Montréal Pride is the event partner for "Queer of the Year." This is a community-driven, not-for-profit organization overseen by members of the businesses community, local LGBTA associations and event-planning and tourism industry representatives.
The "Queer of the Year" finalists were flown to Montréal on Air Canada. Hotel Le Germain Montréal is the official hotel partner, providing accommodations to all contestants and the production team.
For more information, the latest Montréal LGBT news and to revisit all of the Queer of the Year contest action:
• "Like" the Tourism Montréal "Queer of the Year" Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/QOTYcontest
• Visit Tourism Montréal’s Gay Life blog:
www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/gay-life/
• Follow Tourism Montréal "Queer of the Year" on Twitter: www.twitter.com/QOTYcontest #QOTY2012
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