QUEER Of The Year 2011
BY: RICK ANDREOLI gay.net
This win has placed you as a major role model to young people.
I take being a role model very seriously.
Your image features an interesting mix of gender play, raw sexuality, fetish and more.
It's really just who I am. It's not a show, it's not manufactured, I’m not playing a character. Yes, I use my image as a form of artistic expression, but it doesn't mean it's not authentic. I have always loved Oscar Wilde's quote, "One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art." Well, I am doing both.
What are you hoping for in the next 12 months?I hope to see more outstanding gay role models, both public and not. I would love to see more young gay people getting involved in giving back to their community, and learning about the generations before us who paved the way so that someone like Chaz Bono can be on TV and a boy like Andrej can wear a gown during Paris Fashion Week. I hope that soon I am added to the list of those who can inspire our younger LGBT boys and girls (and those in between) to be precisely who they want to be, without ever faltering. My professional career has taken many shapes over the years, and I still have plenty of tricks up my sleeve, so you'll have to stay tuned for that... but I do promise, I am just getting started.
JASON WIMBERLY
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BY: RICK ANDREOLI
This summer’s gayest event was Montreal Tourism’s 2011 Queer of the Year competition. Jason Wimberly from San Diego was the winner, and it’s no surprise. As a teen he went from cheerleading right into modeling and high fashion marketing; as a result, he doesn’t get on a plane without fake eyelashes and stilettos. He’s a self-employed fashion expert, entertainer, spokesperson, TV host, dancer, fitness coach and activist. Add in his determination to be true to himself every single day, and this guy defines what it means to be “Naturally Bold.”
Jason took a couple minutes to discuss the competition, his past, and what the future holds.
Why did you enter Queer of the Year?
I pride myself on having an important story to share and am an avid activist for the LGBT community and its allies, so having the platform seemed like a natural way to get my voice heard even more.
I pride myself on having an important story to share and am an avid activist for the LGBT community and its allies, so having the platform seemed like a natural way to get my voice heard even more.
This win has placed you as a major role model to young people.I take being a role model very seriously.
I come from a small farming town in Central California where “gay” just doesn't really happen. And then there was me. I came out at 14, and I didn't just "come out," I blasted out! Dance team, cheerleader, taking a boy to junior prom, and then named Prom Princess of my Senior Class. Yeah, there was a King, Queen, and yours truly was Princess.
Over the years I have gotten many emails from young gay people [wondering] where to find the strength to be themselves in an environment where they know they'll be discriminated against. I know I am extremely fortunate in having a family that never once made me question who I was, or who I wanted to be. That doesn't mean it wasn't scary to be the only gay kid in my school, and while I don't always have a perfect answer, I know that by simply sharing my story I can help those who are struggling.
The struggle of being different in one's community doesn't exactly go away as you get older or come out, either. Our society’s fascination with hyper masculinity leaves those who veer on the opposite edge of gender by the wayside. Gay men's idealized visions of men rarely include the thin effeminate sector. I hope to show that I can be just as much of a man as the football-playing guy in cargo shorts thinks he is, I'll just have better shoe choices and a six pack.
Your image features an interesting mix of gender play, raw sexuality, fetish and more. It's really just who I am. It's not a show, it's not manufactured, I’m not playing a character. Yes, I use my image as a form of artistic expression, but it doesn't mean it's not authentic. I have always loved Oscar Wilde's quote, "One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art." Well, I am doing both.
I have some high school photos that prove some things never change. [seen here]
What do you think about people like Chaz Bono and model Andrej Pejic bringing the topic of gender identity to the forefront of popular culture?It makes me so happy to even see the discussion happening. While it's not always positive, it's happening, and that in itself is a victory. It's all about the exposure theory. Dogs and cats are classic enemies, no? Well, if a puppy and kitten were raised together from birth, they would never know the difference. They've grown up as equals and treat each other the same way. This theory [works for] humans as well. I have two gorgeous nephews and a niece. They know I'm gay, and while they may not know exactly what that means, they understand that if Mommy and Daddy can be a couple, Uncle JJ can have a boyfriend. As a matter of fact, one of my winning photos from the Sex Appeal challenge for QOTY was me nude, with red lipstick and heels, on a swing. My 3-year-old nephew saw the photo. The conversation went like this:
Nephew: JJ, you're not wearing a shirt?
ME: Nope
Nephew: JJ, you're not wearing any pants?
ME: Right again.
Nephew: JJ, you have make up on?
ME: A little.
Nephew: .... Well, you look really pretty.
ME: Nope
Nephew: JJ, you're not wearing any pants?
ME: Right again.
Nephew: JJ, you have make up on?
ME: A little.
Nephew: .... Well, you look really pretty.
End of conversation.
What are you hoping for in the next 12 months?I hope to see more outstanding gay role models, both public and not. I would love to see more young gay people getting involved in giving back to their community, and learning about the generations before us who paved the way so that someone like Chaz Bono can be on TV and a boy like Andrej can wear a gown during Paris Fashion Week. I hope that soon I am added to the list of those who can inspire our younger LGBT boys and girls (and those in between) to be precisely who they want to be, without ever faltering. My professional career has taken many shapes over the years, and I still have plenty of tricks up my sleeve, so you'll have to stay tuned for that... but I do promise, I am just getting started.
Wimberly Worldwide LLC is my umbrella for all the sparkly things that happen in my professional life. From hosting events, to my charitable causes, to my growing brand, I have a ton of new exciting things in the work this fall and for 2012.
I am currently in New York and will be coming to Los Angeles as an Instructor with Soul Cycle [a new concept in cycling fitness classes]. My first episode as a coach on MTV's Made is coming out this fall, and my management is currently in the talks with a production company about three new shows I am up for next season.
For more than a year I have been working on a new fashion-based social networking site that will launch in the New Year to LA-specific I.P. addresses. Lots of details are coming about that in January when we go BETA.
I am also slated to shoot my first infomercial this fall as a "Beauty Expert" and am working with CarePluss Pharma as a spokesperson for a new pre-workout drink they're developing.
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