Brighton’s very own, Matt Rood, (a 36 year old professional dog trainer and walker), has been crowned Mr Gay England after three months of competing for the title. Mr Gay England is part of the European pageant-type competition, Mr Gay Europe.
In his efforts to achieve the title, Mr Rood worked towards improving equality within the LGBTQ+ community.
Being crowned the prestigious title means Rood will be flying out to Sweden in August to compete against other international winners of the competition.
Hopefuls for the Mr Gay Europe 2017 will compete in a series of rounds that put a twist on your traditional pageant.
Unlike traditional pageants, there will be no swimwear or catwalk round but instead the hopefuls will have to present their main project, as well as executing workshops focusing on topics such as HIV and suicide prevention. By doing this, the competition challenges the ideas surrounding pageants as a whole.
Contestants will participate in a celebration to be held at Pride Park in Sweden on 5th August.
Voting closes on Friday 4th August.
