The Dalai Lama is quoted as saying: “Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.”
So, too, it can be said about the events at Greenwich Village’s Stonewall Inn (now designated as part of the Stonewall National Monument) in New York City, in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969. As a result of a police raid on the historic gay bar, the Stonewall riots ignited and the battle for gay rights intensified. Many claim that gay rights icon Marsha P. Johnson cast the first stone so to speak when she hurled a shot glass during the melee. True or urban legend, it is of critical historic importance to recognize the LGBTQ activists who were the trailblazers for LGBTQ rights. While many individuals fought for the collective freedoms of LGBTQ citizens around the world, Johnson stands out.
Having been on the frontlines of the Stonewall uprising, Johnson is without question a framer of the gay rights movement. She was an LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS activist, a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front, a member of ACT UP, and a co-founder of the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries renamed as the Strategic Transgender Alliance for Radical Reform.
Additionally, Johnson was a self-identified drag queen. She once said: "I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville until I became a drag queen. That's what made me in New York, that's what made me in New Jersey, that's what made me in the world."
In honor of Johnson’s dedication to the gay and drag communities, the Mizz OUTSFL Pageant created the Marsha P. Johnson Award of Excellence. Presented by Grieco Ford of Fort Lauderdale, the recognition is voted upon by pageant contestants and reflects the canons of community service and a sincere effort to selflessly assist other contestants during the competition.
Founded in 2024 by OUTSFL Newspaper and Magazine, the Mizz OUTSFL Pageant is a fundraiser for LGBTQ college student scholarships. To be eligible to enter the pageant, contestants must demonstrate their commitment to LGBTQ advocacy, community service and volunteerism.
This year, the pageant will be held at Aquaplex in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, May 19, 2025. The event begins promptly at 6 p.m. The cash and prize package presently stands at $30,000.
Pageant crowning ceremonies will take place later in the week at the OUTSFL Gala on Thursday, May 22, 2025, at the Crystal Ballroom at the Venue in Wilton Manors, FL.
For more information or to purchase sponsorships and tickets, please contact OUTSFL CEO/Pageant Director Justin Wyse at 954-804-6826 or by email at
