Student wins Miss Gay Western Cape 2017

Emogen Moore, from Mitchells Plain, has been crowned Miss Gay Western Cape 2017 in the most anticipated LGBTIQ pageant in Cape Town.

The sold out 9th edition of the annual event was held on Saturday night with a glitzy show at the Joseph Stone Auditorium in Athlone.

Eleven finalists competed for the coveted title. The contestants were pre-judged a week before the event, and on the night were required to strut their stuff in Swim Wear, Theme Wear and Evening Wear.

The theme for this year’s pageant was “One World – Different Cultures” which saw the finalists sporting outfits covering various cultures from around the world.

Moore, who is a 29-year-old part time HR student, wowed the judges with her Chinese and African inspired themed outfit as well as her metallic swimsuit and black and silver sequin evening gown.

She was awarded the Miss Gay Western Cape title and was followed by 1st Princess, Wendy La Rosa, and 2nd Princess, Laylah Zokufa Khan.

“i am overjoyed, ecstatic and also very humbled,” said Moore after winning the contest. “I was so emotional, especially when I saw my family and friends crying because they knew how much I wanted the title.”

She revealed that this was her third attempt to take home the Miss Gay Western Cape crown. “I told myself that this year I was going to work harder from the get go… and my hard work paid off, even though the competition was extremely tough.”

Moore continued: “God gave me the title to test my abilities as a gay individual to step up to the plate and prove to myself and to the LGBTIQ community that I can be an ambassador for the community.”

In addition to the glamorous contestants on stage, the audience was also treated to entertainment from the likes of Genevive Williams, SA’s Got Talent runner up Manila von Teez, Kat Gilardi and Nassi Mbolompho. MCs Nathan Kayster and PJ Smith kept the show running smoothly and had the audience in stitches with their humorous quips.