LGBTQ: Meet Philly's Mr. Gay 2011 contender, Dashiell Sears

Philly's gay studs don't come packaged more perfectly than this, folks. Dashiell Sears - who captured the 2011 Mr. Gay Philadelphia competition after dazzling judges with a gymnastics routine - will be duking it out with hotties from across the country to snatch the title of U.S. Mr. Gay 2011.

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LGBTQ: Meet Philly's Mr. Gay 2011 contender, Dashiell Sears

POSTED: Friday, November 18, 2011, 2:00 PM

Filed Under: LGBTQ

In this week’s Agenda section, Brandon Baker writes about the weekend’s U.S. Mr. Gay 2011 pageant. Today he chats with hunky Philly contender, Dashiell Sears, about pre-show butterflies, gymnastics and how he plans to use the title if he takes it home on Saturday night.

Philly’s gay studs don’t come packaged more perfectly than this, folks. Dashiell Sears — who captured the 2011 Mr. Gay Philadelphia competition after dazzling judges with a gymnastics routine — will be duking it out with hotties from across the country to snatch the title of U.S. Mr. Gay 2011, held this weekend in Philly.

But despite the mounting pressure, the 20-year-old political science major claims he’s not a bit nervous.

“When it’s all said and done, it’s not going to change my life too dramatically,” he says. “I treat it as something where I can go, be myself and see how I can relate to the crowd … it’s a lot of fun.”

Since claiming the Philadelphia title in April, Sears has taken a more humble approach to his Mr. Gay glory, using his newfound pageant power to fundraise for the Noble Beast Foundation and participate in a conglomeration of local LGBTQ benefits.

“I’ve gone to a lot of fundraisers wearing my sash and I wrote for phillygaycalendar.com and Philadelphia Gay News,” he says about the opportunities that have been tossed his way.

If nothing else, Sears is certainly a man that knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to “grab life by the balls.” At the age of two he was enrolled in a gymnastics program at the YMCA and has since become one of Temple star gymnastics athletes alongside two other openly gay teammates.

“I’ve been an athlete pretty much my entire life,” he says. “I’ve been in the sport for 18 years, 13 years competitively.”

And to further accentuate his well-rounded nature, Sears also tells us that he has played an active role as an Occupy protester in the past few months, sending letters to an LGBTQ group involved with Occupy Philly in addition to participating in marches.

“I’m very involved in the Occupy movement — it’s a great time to be a political science major,” he says. “Things are happening, and it’s great to have an understanding of where and why it’s happening.”

Without a doubt, Sears is the all-American type of guy one looks to bring home to mom and dad for Thanksgiving: pleasantly charming, smart as a whip, just the right amount of macho and sporting arms that could toss a bowling ball like a penny.

Yet having three siblings with special needs, Sears also boasts an endearing sensitive side, with aims to be a role model for the shunned, battle weary spirits in the LGBTQ community as well as the collectively underprivileged.

“I have a theory that maybe, if I won, I could do a small tour of the Philadelphia high schools. A talk, or something,” Sears says. “It’s the kids in high school that need to be addressed – they’re just finding out who they are.”

And though he may be ho-hum on winning the competition, we have a sneaking suspicion that this contender’s effortless display of charm and morality might just give him the edge he needs to take out this year’s roster of hunks.

Grab an icepack and a portable fan, audience members – you’re in for one steamy competition.

Fri.-Sat., Nov. 18-19, various times, $15-$55, Voyeur Nightclub, 1221 St. James St., 215-833-4165, nightlifegay.com.

(brandon.baker@citypaper.net) (@brotherlylover)

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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