TONIGHT: Mr. SEXO Competition at Woody’s [UPDATED]


If you can believe it, Latin Night at Woody’s this evening is going to be a little sexier than usual, when GALAEI and PhillyGayCalendar team up to present the first annual Mr. SEXO competition. The pageant, GALAEI Executive Director — and our 2013 Hero honoree — Elicia Gonzales says, doubles “as a way to do a winter event comparable to Boys of Summer” and continue promoting SEXO, a 1992 sex-positive campaign that GALAEI revamped in April.

Men are asked to sign up for the event on-site, so Gonzales doesn’t know how many will participate. “I feel like we’ll have a good number, because there are a lot of guys in the community who like to show off their bodies and who are kind of hams anyway,” she laughs. But those who sign up shouldn’t rest on their muscles alone. “It’s a hot-body contest plus the [Q&A] round of Miss America.” She is hoping for a man who can embody what GALAEI represents, which, in a nutshell, is that everybody — gay, lesbian, trans, HIV-positive — deserves to have a healthy sex life.

Do you have to be Latino to win? “Those are the ones I’m hoping will come out in droves,” she says. “There’s an under-representation of gay Latino men in the community … so we specifically chose to host it at Woody’s Latin Night to make sure Latinos are celebrated and honored.” But Gonzales is all about inclusiveness. She even says she hopes to continue the competition next year for all genders.

Besides the esteem that comes with being Philly’s first Mr. SEXO, the winner will receive a year membership to Optimal Sport Health Club, and one goody from local adult boutique Velvet Lily.

The event — hosted by Miss Philly Gay Pride Cyannie Famouz and with a performance by singer Jonathan Hernandez — kicks off tonight at 10 p.m. at Woody’s (202 S. 13th St.) A portion of the $5 cover will benefit GALAEI. For more info, go here.

UPDATE [12/13/2013]: Gabriel Martino wins first Mr. SEXO contest. Learn more about the Puerto Rican heartthrob here.

Stay on top of Philly’s LGBT news via our snappy weekly newsletter. Sign up here.