The Miss and Miss Teen Queen of the Pacific Pageant’s preliminaries took place at the

Tamuning Community Center on Saturday, Oct.22.

The event is an alternative lifestyles beauty pageant.

The current titleholders and last year’s Miss Queen and Miss Teen Queen of the Pacific used

their positions in other meaningful ways.

Naveah Lashay, Miss Teen Queen of the Pacific 2015, joined when she was just a senior in high

school.

“The first ever Miss Teen Queen of the Pacific actually reached out to me and asked me if I

would be interested in joining the pageant,” Lashay said.

Lashay had no second thoughts about joining as she asked her parents for permission to join the

pageant.

Lashay used her title to promote equality.

“I won the crown so I used that as an advantage to talk to my peers,” Lashay said.

She wanted to provide the people of Guam with more information about the transgender

community and how it works.

“We’re just people like everyone else. We love everyone and we’re here the same reason why

everyone is here,” Lashay said.

Alongside Lashay, Kylie Diosa Duenas, Miss Queen of the Pacific 2015, also explained that the

pageant is more than just glitz and glam.

“There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with holding a title after winning the pageant,”

Duenas said.

“It really takes a lot of brain and a lot of dedication to think of the things that you are going to do

to impact the island and pull through and execute.”

Duenas emphasizes that this pageant is also a great way to bring people together.

“When we compete in the pageant and we’re on stage looking out into the ballroom, it’s not just

a ballroom with LGBT people,” Duenas said.

Duenas explains that the ballroom is filled with Guam’s community. She appreciates the

different cultures and beliefs of the audience members. She is happy to see that the Guam

community is diverse and supportive for the LGBT community. She also says that the support of

the audience gives the confidence the contestants need to compete in the pageant.

“It shows people that we’ve come a long way with acceptance and equality. There are people

who support you and you’re going to encounter people that don’t, but just remember that there

are always more who will,” Duenas said.

The Miss and Miss Teen Queen 2016 Preliminaries was a competition on Talent and Recycled

costumes.

The Coronation of the Miss and Miss Teen Queen of the Pacific will take place at the Grand Vrio

Hall in the Fiesta Resort on Saturday, Oct.29 at 6 p.m.

For more information, please contact Leah at leahsfabulousproductions671@gmail.com or call

(671) 487-8356/6839.