Noel Alumit
Author, 'Letters to Montgomery Clift' and 'Talking to the Moon'
Octavia Hamlett, Homeless Transgender Woman, Wins Pageant
Posted: 12/27/11 11:55 PM ET
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/noel-alumit/octavia-hamlett-quest-pageant_b_1168171.htmlOn Dec. 10, Octavia Hamlett won APAIT Health Center's Quest: Woman of the Year, a transgender pageant that emphasizes community advocacy and leadership. After winning the pageant in Little Tokyo, Octavia left the theater wearing the dress she received as a gift for the evening gown competition. She kicked off her heels for more comfortable shoes, threw on a coat, and with the crown teetering on her head, she walked two blocks south to the Union Mission, a transitional housing facility, in the heart of Skid Row.
For Octavia, entering a beauty pageant was not on her list of priorities. However, Maria Roman, one of the pageant coordinators, repeatedly encouraged her to apply.
Octavia said, "Maria kept asking me and asking me to fill out an application, but I kept saying no." However, Hamlett, a devout Christian, gave in. "Maria asked me again. Then I realized that God speaks through other people. I wondered if this was something I was supposed to do."
