West Hollywood council member Sepi Shyne, Mayor Pro Tem John Erickson and council members Lauren Meister and Chelsea Byers (led be Public Safety Commissioner Tod Hallman), joined community members and organizations at the Spirit Royale Drag Cheerleading Competition, hosted by West Hollywood Cheerleaders and Life Group LA. This event provides an opportunity to support and raise awareness for the drag community as well as raise funds to support HIV/AIDS wellness programs. Funds raised from the event benefited the mission of Life Group LA, a West Hollywood organization that was founded in 2005 that supports HIV/AIDS wellness free of charge for the community.
Spirit Royale Drag Cheerleading Competition – Photo by Mike Pingel for WEHO TIMESThe event, emceed by Drag Laureate Pickle and Alexander Rodriguez, included celebrity judges Jai Rodriguez (actor/singer), Conner Huber (UCLA Spirit Squad Coach) and Farrah Moan (Rupaul’s Drag Race Season 9).
Spirit Royale was well attended. Audience cheered the contestants while they enjoyed Aviation Gin, the event alcoholic sponsor. The specially cocktail for the evening was called The Flying Cheerleader. Pickle performed a song before the contest began and Cheer LA preformed at the end.
Spirit Royale Drag Cheerleading Competition – Photo by Mike Pingel for WEHO TIMES
Spirit Royale Drag Cheerleading Competition – Photo by Mike Pingel for WEHO TIMESThe teams battling it out for the Spirit Royale Trophy were, West Hollywood City Council, LA Wranglers, MegaWoof America, and Gay Men’s Chorus Los Angeles.
Each team was scored on:
- Degree of difficulty
- The number of tricks and stunts performed
- Timing and rhythm
- Originality
- Spirit
Appearance - Unity
- Creativity
- Effort
- Performed most outside their comfort zone
Spirit Royale Drag Cheerleading Competition – Photo by Mike Pingel for WEHO TIMES
Spirit Royale Drag Cheerleading Competition – Photo by Mike Pingel for WEHO TIMESThe West Hollywood Cheerleaders sold raffle tickets throughout the night. A winner was drawn before the winner of the competition was announced. The winning raffle ticket took home a 50-inch LED TV.
And the winner is (drum roll):
Gay Men’s Chorus Los Angeles!
Spirit Royale Drag Cheerleading Competition – Photo by Mike Pingel for WEHO TIMESFounded in 1986, West Hollywood Cheerleaders is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Drag Queens. Over the past three decades, the West Hollywood Cheerleaders organization has evolved from the single-issue mission of ending AIDS and HIV stigma, to a broader mission of recognizing and celebrating young leaders.
Photos by Mike Pingel for WEHO TIMES. Click to enlarge.
This event was produced to bring everyone together, including marginalized community members, in the face of the current national political climate that includes attacks on the drag and trans communities. Moreover, the event is focused on highlighting diversity and inclusion, which embodies West Hollywood’s values, so the community of West Hollywood can continue to be a beacon of hope for the rest of country.
They should turn that video into “Bring It On, Part 397.”
Sorry. Not sorry. The City of West Hollywood Safety Commission has a purpose: the SAFETY OF WEST HOLLYWOOD residents. Do your drag show and antics on someone else’s time. This is pathetic. Not the drag portion, not the trans portion, but the waste of tax payers time and waste of city resources. The City has already demonstrated its support of Drag and and trans issues over and over. We even pay a Drag Laureate. This is nonsense on the people’s time. Just another reminder of why this adminstration is not fit to lead.
Maybe you should ask how much City Funds were spent? Or your assumption. You missed that Funds raised from the event benefited the mission of Life Group LA, a West Hollywood organization that was founded in 2005 that supports HIV/AIDS wellness free of charge for the community.
These people are all mentally ill it’s some kind of a sickness and illness they need to be taken into a house of worship and cleanse from head to foot in the name of the father the son and the Holy Spirit and Mary Magdalena
Why did you capitalize “funds”? That’s incorrect. BTW, no one has ever heard of Life Group L.A. APLA has been serving the community fine for decades without showboating.
I could not disagree with you more. Not only are they public servants, they are community members also. By participating they really showed me personally that they are not “above” the rest and they can be fun and have fun with the rest of us while raising money and supporting charity. Plus, how do you know they were on the clock wasting our tax money, maybe they did all this on their own time. What would be “someone else’s time”? And, participating in community events is part of the job in my opinion. I applaud them for stepping out of… Read more »
All these people are demonstrating some type of a sickness some type of an illness in their head jumping around with pom-poms like they’re five years old what are the Lord‘s green earth is going on in our society these days? These people need to be taken to a house of worship and cleanse from head to toe to remove these daemonic spirituality that they have inside of their bodies that are making them act this way ..and some even crossdress!