Miss Gay Pennsylvania America
Welcome To Atlantic City, New Jersey
HEAVENLY REFLECTIONS
Winter 2026
Hello my loves! How are you? Are you feeling lovely? Are you feeling fine? Are you feeling glorious, and divine? I hope you are, because I am. And I am so very excited for this edition of Heavenly Reflections! The past few weeks have been quite a whirlwind, and there’s so much to catch you up on. Let’s get to it!
Preparing for Miss Gay America
I last left you all in mid-December, as I was deep in preparations for Miss Gay America in January. December was a very busy month! I had several rehearsals for the final night/Top 10 talent I planned to bring to Miss Gay America. My choreographer/dancer and I had small things to work out and finesse, and I felt it was best to test run things on actual stages. We were fortunate to be able to do two full test runs the end of December - I am so glad we did! Those test runs revealed the smallest of details to adjust before bringing the talent to the big stage. Here are some words of wisdom I’d like to share with any performer preparing for a pageant - test run your talent on stage before competing! Don’t let the pageant be the first time you run through everything. You’ll thank me later.
This time period also allowed me to save up some money for my trip, finalize travel plans and other lodging logistics, etc. I also took some time to volunteer at a middle school in the Upper Darby, PA school district. Every year, the LGBTQQ & A Club invites me to spend time with their after-school club, performing, educating, answering questions, and encouraging our LGBTQ+ youth. I cherish doing this volunteer work and was very excited to return this year as a state titleholder.
A few more highlights while preparing for Miss Gay America include a benefit show in Altoona, PA featuring several contestants from the region making their way down to Little Rock, AR to compete for Miss Gay America. This cast included representatives from PA, MD, NY, and the Mid-West. It was so amazing! I’ve never performed that far west into the state of PA and the people there welcomed us all with open arms, and gifts! A special moment I had with one person in particular was hearing her story of surviving her cancer diagnosis and treatment, and celebrating her “Cancer free” status! Seeing her in her sash and tiara nearly brought me to tears. These moments with people at drag shows are so precious and I don’t take them for granted.
I was also fortunate to perform at the RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18 premiere viewing party at the TLA in Philadelphia, hosted by season 18 cast member, Philly native, and a forever Miss Gay Gettysburg America, Mandy Mango! This was my first time performing at a premiere party and it was so much fun! The energy in the room as we celebrated Mandy was intoxicating! I am grateful to have been included and so happy to see Mandy succeed in her career! It was so much fun, I nearly forgot that in just a few days, I’d be halfway across the country returning to compete for something I wanted so bad for my career. Before I knew it, it was time.
Miss Gay America 2026
January 13, 2026 was the first day of Miss Gay America 2026. I waited 2 years to return to this stage, and I was ready to compete for the crown. The week went by SO FAST, it was a blur. I had a great time, I felt (and looked!) amazing, I was able to reconnect with familiar faces and I met so many new ones. It was a dream. I felt like my year off was well worth it!
And then final night came. My dancer arrived a few days prior, a close friend drove down from NW Arkansas, my husband flew in. I felt so loved and supported. I needed them, more than I realized, because the week did not end the way I hoped - I did not make the top 10 this year, and was not able to make my dream a reality.
I’m writing this a few weeks after I’ve returned home from Miss Gay America, so I’ve had time to process the week, reflect on my performance, and accept that this just wasn’t my year. I’m OK with it now, however I must admit, it was not easy. I placed a lot of pressure on myself to perform well. On the surface, I maintained a composed demeanor. Underneath it all, I had to keep myself from breaking down. Pageantry is not easy. Contestants pour so much time, energy, resources, mental capacity, and more, into our packages, and when things don’t turn out the way we planned for, it’s all too easy to feel defeated.
I cannot thank the people around me enough for lifting my spirits and helping me remain positive. With them by my side, I was able to refocus and acknowledge what I was able to accomplish my week at Miss Gay America. I finished the week placing 14th out of 48 contestants. My prelim talent placed 8th overall and I was less than 7 points away from making the Top 10! It was a very close race and I was in good company! Taking the time to reflect on those statistics helped me realize that I should be, and I am, incredibly proud of myself. And I know PA is proud of me as well. A huge congratulations is in order for our newly crowned Miss Gay America - Tracy La Louisianne! ‘Ya did good gal! Looking forward to having you in PA later this year!
Returning home - what’s next?
Once I returned home from Miss Gay America, a head cold forced me to stay in and rest. I needed that rest. As soon as I felt better, it was back to work! I recorded a podcast with Inside the Drag Closet (available for viewing now on their YouTube channel!), met with all of the city level promoters for Miss Gay Pennsylvania America, and began meeting with the current city level title holders to begin plans for this year’s pageants. I did another crown photoshoot, and started prepping for my various step-downs this year (I have 4!!).
In my personal life, I started training for another half-marathon (training in the winter is not fun. Why did I let my husband guilt me into signing up for a run that involves training in cold weather???), I’m working on keeping my daily yoga practice going, as well as my Duo Lingo (currently on a 50 day learning streak!). My work life is EXTREMELY busy, and I’m doing everything I can to stay afloat. I need a vacation from everything, stat! I’ll be doing some traveling for work in the coming months, making my way to the UK and Japan. So happy to be on the road again!
What else is in store for the months to come? Truthfully, this year is all about having a fantastic reign as Miss Gay Pennsylvania America. I’ll be doing all I can to make sure prelims go smoothly and we have amazing contestants at each prelim. My calendar is already filling up with performance dates so it’s back to business as usual, twirling and entertaining the masses.
The question on everyone's mind, I'm sure - what about preparing for competing in another pageant myself? Will I be returning to Miss Gay America next year, or will I be taking this year off from competing? Will I be exploring other pageant systems? I won’t say for sure, only time will tell, but I’ll leave this edition of Heavenly Reflections with one last note - it’s never too late for a new beginning. *wink wink* I’ll see you again in my next edition of Heavenly Reflections in May. Until then, be well my loves. Stay warm, fight against the ICE, and have a heavenly winter!
XOXO
Love and Light,
Heavens 2 Betsy Stratton
Miss Gay Pennsylvania America 2025