# What % of single men involved with beauty pageants as fans or support staff are gay?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-single-men-involved-with-beauty-pageants-as-fans-or-support-staff-are-gay/493997
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [April 22, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-single-men-involved-with-beauty-pageants-as-fans-or-support-staff-are-gay/493997 "2009-04-22T18:08:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-single-men-involved-with-beauty-pageants-as-fans-or-support-staff-are-gay/493997/1 "2009-04-22T18:08:12Z")
The conflicting attitudes between the generally conservative parents of pageant contestants and the purportedly high proportion of gay men providing a variety of support functions for beauty pageants was source of some conflict re the recent news story about Miss California’s response to a question about gay marriage.
One gay man was incensed at the answer and pointed to the high percentage of gay men in the audience as evidence for what a hypocritical position this was to take for pageant contestant.
Is he right. Are the single men involved in beauty and talent pageants largely gay?
> [@](#):
>
> [Not without some drama](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30298051/)
> If there is a YouTube moment from Sunday’s show, it may be Miss California’s answer to a question about legalizing same-sex marriage. The tall blonde stumbled some before giving an answer that appeared to please the pageant audience.
>
> “We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage,” Prejean said. “And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.”
>
> Some in the audience cheered, others booed. The answer sparked a shouting match in the lobby after the show.
>
> “It’s ugly,” said Scott Ihrig, a gay man, who attended the pageant with his partner. “I think it’s ridiculous that she got first runner-up. That is not the value of 95 percent of the people in this audience. Look around this audience and tell me how many gay men there are.”
>
> Charmaine Koonce, the mother of Miss New Mexico USA Bianca Carla, argued back.
>
> “In the Bible it says marriage is between Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve!”
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-single-men-involved-with-beauty-pageants-as-fans-or-support-staff-are-gay/493997/2 "2009-04-22T18:22:55Z")
From what I’ve seen and read, I’d guess it’s very high. Don’t know that anyone’s done any polling, though.
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-single-men-involved-with-beauty-pageants-as-fans-or-support-staff-are-gay/493997/3 "2009-04-22T18:24:03Z")
I’d say around 200-300%
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-of-single-men-involved-with-beauty-pageants-as-fans-or-support-staff-are-gay/493997/4 "2009-04-22T19:12:26Z")
> [@Miller](#):
>
> I’d say around 200-300%
Well then! I can see why they’re so pissed.