August 31, 2012
Montreal Crowns First Female Queer of the Year Contest Winner
Mark Thompson READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Montr�al, Quebec - The votes have been counted and Tourisme Montr�al 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 Montr�al 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 Montr�al-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 Montr�al-based photographer Damian Siqueiros.
In addition to Ivette's reasons to revisit, summer is still sizzling in Montr�al for LGBT travelers and the buzz carries through this fall with events such as The Black & Blue Festival and image+nation, the 24th Annual Montr�al International LGBT Film Festival.
Montr�al 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 Montr�al on Air Canada. Hotel Le Germain Montr�al is the official hotel partner, providing accommodations to all contestants and the production team.
For more information, the latest Montr�al LGBT news and to revisit all of the Queer of the Year contest action:
� "Like" the Tourism Montr�al "Queer of the Year" Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/QOTYcontest
� Visit Tourism Montr�al's Gay Life blog:
www.tourisme-montreal.org/blog/gay-life/
� Follow Tourism Montr�al "Queer of the Year" on Twitter: www.twitter.com/QOTYcontest #QOTY2012
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A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.
