Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

New Zealander declared Mr Gay World

 

Monday 09 April 2012 22:39 BST
Comments
Andreas Derleth of New Zealand with his trophies during the grand finale of the Mr. Gay World 2012 competition, in Johannesburg yesterday
Andreas Derleth of New Zealand with his trophies during the grand finale of the Mr. Gay World 2012 competition, in Johannesburg yesterday (AP)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

New Zealand's Andreas Derleth has been crowned Mr Gay World, after a contest in Johannesburg that organisers said aimed to challenge homophobia throughout Africa.

Many of the contestants faced an uphill struggle even to make it to the finals – after Mr Gay Ethiopia entered the contest, his father cut off all communications. Mr Gay Zimbabwe withdrew, fearing the publicity was making life difficult for his mother. Namibia's representative, Wendelinus Hamutenya, said that although he was disappointed to lose to Mr Derleth, 32, he would return home to fight for gay and human rights.

AP

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in