I attended the recent Miss Florida F.I. pageant at the Venue on Wilton Drive. In the midst of oncoming hurricane Milton and the awful weather that we had, the event was still an amazing success for celebrating our trans and drag community along with the men in our community who competed for Mr. Florida.

The organizers of this legendary event, Scott Holland, Gary Santis and Alyson Thomas, did a terrific job in creating an entertaining event that from beginning to end was moving, powerful, heartfelt and for me an experience of a lifetime.

My take away from this event is my certainty that many if not most of the competitors throughout their lives have been held back, setback and told to stand down. Most were told and reminded way too often they would not fit in with this world. The thing that bothers me the most is for many years the rhetoric of the world had many of these amazing people believing these lies. Then one day they did not believe these lies about them and they stepped up and did something about it. That is powerful. 
 
Every performance was filled with a sense of inspiration. The participants shut the world off from the hate and embraced a personal circle of influence that they could feel at home with and call their very own family. These competitors made the decision at some point in their lives to step up and live their best life. They moved well beyond the self-doubt and lack of confidence they endured earlier in life. This allowed these amazing people to become beyond something special. 

For many years this iconic event was led by Victor Zepka. Zepka did an incredible job during an era that created some of the biggest stars ever to hit the stage. Stars like Tiffany Arieagus, Nikki Adams, Electra and more. 

This event pioneered a platform for our trans and drag community to celebrate their lives, their talents in the most dynamic and professional way. This event is just not where people entertain us. This event is something magical that celebrates a part of our community that deserves credit for dreaming big and going for it. 

I am so proud of our community. My belief is every one of us is a true gift from God.

Bobby Blair is a LGBTQ media pioneer and leader known for his philanthropic work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. A Florida native, he lives in Fort Lauderdale with his longtime partner, Brian Neal. Blair was inducted into the GLBT Hall of Fame in 2015.