Meet Matt Ramsey, the reigning Miss Gay NC America

For the last four decades, North Carolina has crowned its very own Miss Gay North Carolina America, who sets out to compete on the national stage.

Miss Gay America, now in its 48th year, is the longest running female impersonation pageant in the nation, and it sets itself to a higher standard than just a general drag show.

Charlotte resident Matt Ramsey currently holds the title for the state, and he’s gearing up to crown the next man on Sept. 7.

CharlotteFive had the chance to speak with him to learn more about his journey to the title and what exactly it takes to be crowned Miss Gay NC America.

Journey into pageants

For Ramsey, getting into drag wasn’t something he initially set out to do. As a student at Appalachian State, he had plans to join a fraternity. It was around the time of rush that his best friend brought up the idea of doing a drag show.

“My best friend Charlie was all about balance,” Ramsey told CharlotteFive. “She wanted me to find an activity to balance out joining a fraternity, and she felt that as a gay man, doing drag would do so.”

Ramsey wanted to shy away from drag. But Charlie persisted, he said.

Sadly, Charlie was killed by a drunk driver before Ramsey would ever carry out her suggestion. “After she passed, I felt like I had to do it as a way to honor her,” he said.

He set out to do a show, vowing it would only be a one-time thing. But he found that he loved entertaining others and bringing joy and laughter to their life.

As a plus-sized man, he chose the stage name Shelita Hoyle Buffet.

“If you say it in a sort-of Southern drawl, it sounds like she’ll eat a whole buffet,” he said.

In hopes of being taken more seriously in the drag world, Ramsey eventually decided to compete for the title of Miss Gay America. He dropped the name Buffet and added Bonet after being adopted by the House of Bonet. Houses are a surrogate family of sorts, who support each other in their gender expression.

Six years ago, he competed for the first time in the Miss Gay NC America pageant, but only made it halfway through the ranks.

After some time away, he decided to give it another shot, and in 2018 he was crowned Miss Gay NC America.

What holding the crown means

“Anyone can be crowned, but what you do as queen is what speaks.”

A big part of holding the title of Miss Gay America or Miss Gay NC America is setting out to educate your communities about the LGBTQ community and ways to become better allies.

Ramsey has been working hard over the last year to do just that. Because the educated are rarely intimidated, he said.

As only the third plus-size man to be crowned in NC, a big part of his platform was body positivity. Ramsey also spent a significant portion of his reign overseeing the NC chapter of Drag Queen Story Hour. The nonprofit was started in New York and hosts children storytelling hours at venues across the nation that focus on gender non-conformity and being your true self.

“We want kids to know that it’s OK to be yourself. It’s OK to be different,” Ramsey said.

In addition to the things mentioned, Ramsey has attended pride festivals across the state, hosted several drag brunches and other events that don’t involve people having to go to a nightclub to enjoy themselves.

“I implemented a thing called ‘ask a drag queen’ at the brunches. I wanted people to get informed on the lifestyle so that they can help spread awareness the right way.”

What to expect from the pageant

This year’s event will be held at Chasers (3217 The Plaza) in Charlotte on Sept. 7.

Contestants will compete in four categories over the course of the pageant: male interview (in suit and tie), evening gown, on-stage interview and talent.

Under the national system rules, all contestants vying for the crown must identify as male to be considered. The male interview category is very important to the judges — they want contestants to show what they are like in their everyday life, almost like a job interview. This part of the contest is not open to the public.

What you can see if you attend are the other three categories.

“This is where we get our time to shine and show our femininity.”

The men transform into their female personality and show the judges and audience their best talents. Since they will be responsible for speaking at several events during their reign, the on-stage interview round is also important. They must be able to captivate a room.

Of course, one of the most anticipated rounds is talent. Contestants have 7 minutes to show whatever it is that they feel they are great at doing.

As for Ramsey, he will do a final performance before ending his reign during this year’s event. He has hopes to compete on the national stage again, but he wants to take some time to enjoy life and “grow out some facial hair.”

To learn more about the Miss Gay America pageant system, you can check its website: www.missgayamerica.com.

This story was originally published September 2, 2019 at 10:02 PM with the headline "Meet Matt Ramsey, the reigning Miss Gay NC America."