We all want world peace

While there have been scattered hijra pageants in India in the past, earlier this week, Mumbai hosted the nation's first formal transgender pageant. Auditions for "Super Queen" have been taking place across the country for the past several weeks; contestants had been handpicked from ten Indian cities. Veteran actor Zeenat Aman and starlet/LGBT activist Celina Jaitley were on hand as judges.

The event has been organized by 12 Noon entertainment; some of you may be familiar with its CEO, trans-activist Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi. Impressively, they have been able to garner support from the likes of Salman Khan and even Pratibha Patil, the current President of India. While we at Queeristan are sorting through the media trickling in, we have been by conflicted by the dichotomous the use of "eunuch" by some sources and "transgender" by others. From our knowledge, the pageant did not require contestants to be hijras; however, if any of our readers know more information, please do share.

Regardless, it is extraordinary that such an undertaking has gained so much (positive) media buzz both within India as well as abroad. We send our congratulations to the winner, Bobby, and all the contestants. We would take this chance to drop the word "fierce", but it's not 2006.

Manhunt presents.. Mr. Gay World 2009

And Bhavin Shivji Gala is in the running! A dance and fashion choreographer hailing from India, Bhavin wants to win Mr. Gay World so he can "fight for making gay rights legal in India and at least ... bring a smile on many gay people who are suffering."

Vote for Bhavin and others at Manhuntvote.com

An Olympic Quickie

A few days ago we wrote about some hunky brown athletes competing in Beijing at this year's Olympics. Turns out that boxer-turned-model, Vijendar Kumar, has won the bronze in the sport's middleweight division. And, my, does he look fine. Does anyone else see Bollywood in his near future?

An Olympic Treat

Now that the media's Phelps Phever has been settling down, Queeristan wants to take a glance at a few brown Olympians who can match Phelp's charm and err...physique.


Abhinav Bindra may look like the typical Indian-next-door, but his gold medal in shooting earned him a place in history as well as face-time during his country's independance day celebrations. While Bindra may not look identical to Phelps in low-rise swimming trucks, his modesty and solid character are definately his charms.



I'm surprised US gymnast, Raj Bhavsar, has not been getting more screentime at these Olympics. Bhavsar missed making the US team in both 2004 and 2008, securing instead the alternate position. After Paul Hamm's injury barred him from the games, Bhavsar was called in, and boy did he shine. The men's gymnastic team earned a bronze medal after a practically flawless performance by Bhavsar. A South Asian American, Raj has got some interesting stuff to say about the ups and downs of his carreer.

Good looking AND a good heart, what a combo!




And last, but not least, I'm keeping our eyes on boxer, Vijender Kumar. Kumar has made it to the quarterfinals for the middleweight category; he will play Carlos Gongora of Equador on Wednesday. He is a boxer by day, but Kumar is a model by night. Featured in India's Maxim and other magazines, Vijender's killer looks may pack more than his killer punch. Kumar, however, has clear goals -- he wants to fight in Madison Square Garden and to be promoted by none other than Don King.

Some Saturday Morning Eye Candy

So we "innocently" stumbled across a fellow blog. Thought it would be nice to share its wealth of knowledge (or however you want to justify it). The site, Filmy Romeo, posts some impressive desi male models/actors/pageant winners. Although its not updated regularly, some good things are worth the wait. :-)

Warning: Although there's no nudity, this is probably not safe for work.

Here's a little taste of what to (s)expect...




Filmy Romeo blog