Meet Openly Lesbian Miss California Contestant Jenelle Hutcherson: INTERVIEW

Thu, 2012-01-05 20:43

Her late-night post on Facebook said it all. “So history has been made,” Jenelle Hutcherson wrote after becoming the first openly lesbian contestant in the Miss Long Beach (California) Pageant. “No crown and sash tonight, but doors opened that will never be shut again, many new friends and a whole new respect for the pageant world and what guts it takes to get up on that stage. On to Miss California USA!”

Hutcherson, a 26-year-old master hairstylist who works at Den Salon in the California coastal town of Long Beach, was the center of a media whirlwind surrounding the pageant, and unlike previous pageant attention when it comes to LGBT issues, this wasn’t because of a gaffe. Everyone embraced the woman who sports a mohawk, five tattoos, and piercings. Her press photos feature her with a No H8 motto and duct tape, and true to butch form, she made history by doing something else: wearing a tuxedo instead of a gown in the formal part of the pageant.

The attention and hard work wasn’t for naught. Even before the pageant began, Donald Trump, who runs the Miss California USA Pageant, had his office phone Hutcherson and invite her to compete on the statewide level. She didn’t even pause before accepting the challenge. The Bakersfield native, who is also a mentor at the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach, will carry her message of love, tolerance, and ending bullying to the Miss California Pageant, to be held this weekend at Palm Desert’s McCallum Theater. And whether she wins or not, she’ll make history. Even better? Besides those hundreds of new LGBT fans, her mother and stepfather (her dad died of AIDS when she was in grade school) are among her biggest supporters.

So many queer folks were excited to hear about your run for Long Beach. What was that like?

Jenelle Hutcherson: So many, I couldn’t believe it! It has been a humbling experience; I did this because Justin Rudd left me no reason to not participate but also because I could be myself. I, of course, have naysayers on both sides, though. You cannot make everyone happy. If anything, I did this for me, to make me happy. Turns out a whole bunch of other people thought it was a great idea too.

Did you wear a pantsuit instead of a gown? What was the reaction?

I wore a tuxedo. I bought a basic suit and tailored and added the tuxedo embellishments and my own style to it. The crowd went wild — absolutely insane.

What got you into pageantry to begin with?

It was decided over a random conversation with pageant director Justin Rudd. I asked how I could get involved after he told me about last year’s event, which was coming up at the time. And I was thinking hair, did he want a salon sponsor? To my surprise he ... said if I wanted to join I could. My wild hair and tattoos would be just fine. The only question for me at that point was that I’m not wearing a dress — it's not happening. Justin asked what I felt comfortable in and I said a tux. Justin’s reply was a shocker, one I will never forget. He said, “OK.” Justin believes his pageant to be fashion forward and accepting of all.