Pageant hosted by drag queen at Oak Lawn gay bar spurs controversy

Dallas News
By SCOTT FARWELL
11/22/2008

Cassie Nova is resplendent in red.

Her figure is flattered by an almost-there hemline. Heels, three-inch. Hair, teased. Makeup, porcelain doll smooth.

As co-host of a preliminary Miss Texas pageant held Sunday night in Dallas, Ms. Nova was all woman, except for one thing – she's a man.Therein lies the problem. That and the pageant venue: a gay bar.

"I didn't know a drag queen was going to have that prominent of a role," said Jean Magness, executive director of the Miss Texas Organization, who watched over the Miss Oak Cliff/Miss Oak Lawn Area pageant at the Oak Lawn lounge The Rose Room. "The question was Cassie's involvement. Was it appropriate? For me and other board members present, that was a major concern."

What an absurd controversy.  As the story points out, gay men are good enough to do these pageant women's hair and makeup and clothing but gods forbid a drag queen (or trans-woman? wasn't sure from they story) might host the event!  It's not as though drag queens don't have their own magnificent history of pageantry.  People can just be so silly...