The grand finale of Mr Gay World will take place tomorrow in Cape Town City Hall with Guilherme Souza representing Ireland.

The Mr Gay World competition is being hosted in South Africa for the fourth time in the last 8 years. This years event was due to take place in Hong Kong however organisers of Mr Gay World announced the competition would relocate to South Africa due to a lack of welcome from Chinese authorities towards LGBT+ themed events.

The 22 delegates have been put through their paces over the past week. They have completed a triathalon, helped out in a local charity community garden, appeared on radio shows, talk shows and community theatre projects.  They have also had to complete tests on LGBT+ history and about Cape Town.

The contestants have also presented their social projects to a panel of judges. In the latest issue of GCN, Guil spoke about his project, ‘It’s Okay’:

“When I became Mr Gay Ireland in 2018, I started to understand that it was not just about me anymore, I was representing a whole community. Some people in our community are struggling with many different things in their lives, and the fact that I had a platform where I could help in some way, gave me the strength to finally open up.

“Working on one of the challenges in the Mr Gay Europe competition was the deciding factor. All the delegates had to create a project about our community which would make a positive impact. Some delegates opened up by talking about HIV or being transgender. I asked myself what life experiences could talk about that would help the community. It was at this moment that realised that it was time to forgive myself and let the monsters in my head go.

Today is the last day you can vote for Guil in the Mr Gay World poll. The results of the vote go towards the final scores and ultimately decide who will win the crown.

To vote, visit the Mr Gay World website, sign in with Facebook and click ‘Vote Now’. You can vote up to ten times a day so get clicking!