World history was made on a Saturday night at G*A*Y Copenhagen Nightclub in the heart of Copenhagen’s pulsing gay night life when the Danish LGBT+ community celebrated freedom and inclusion by choosing the 44 yeah-old NIELS JANSEN as the new Mr Gay Denmark 2018. It’s the first time in the World that a transgender man wins a national Mr Gay title.
Niels Jansen is an open transgender man with a clear message to the world. “There are lots of ways to be a man and there are lots of ways to be a gay man. And we are all valid and worthy of respect and love.” Niels said about what the title meant to him.
“This title means a lot to me. That I, a transgender man, was chosen to represent my country in this contest that celebrates men, is a great honor. I will do my best to make everyone proud.”
Vulnerable but strong- THE STORY
Taking part in the Mr Gay Denmark contest meant that Niels Jansen would give more of himself than anyone could expect or ask for. As a part of the process, he was expected to present and explain a poster to the judges. On his choice poster, he showed a daring full nude picture of himself. When the poster was shortly shown to the audience on Saturday night, they applauded him for his choice
“This process has been long and draining for me. I have mental health issues, I have tendencies towards anxiety and depression, and I knew that this contest would tax my reserves. I have chosen to make myself vulnerable and have received nothing but support from my fellow contestants and from the organizers. I was told by one of the judges that even though I see
myself as vulnerable, I also have incredible strength. I was very moved by that. I felt seen and heard and validated, and that is a wonderful feeling. I want to especially thank first runner up Bjorn Dotzauer, who helped me a lot. He had a very strong case and I honestly thought he would win,” Niels said.
Niels won a total of four prizes. He was named Mr Congeniality of Mr Gay Denmark after a close run with Daniel Mortensen Jensen who was on the phone from a hospital who fell and broke his left foot after trying to make a split in his talent show on Friday afternoon.
He scored the highest score in a learning process about LGBT+ history and also won the public vote between the readers of Denmark’s LGBT+ magazine Out & About. He will now represent Denmark at the Mr Gay Europe in Poland in August.
“We would like to congratulate Niels on the well-deserved title as Mr Gay Denmark 2018. As an organization we work for the full range of rights for the LGBT community and I'm both happy and proud that the title goes to Niels this year - it means something for the work and struggle we as community does every day. I think this only proves that it actually matters when we believe we can change things and embrace each other with respect and love,” Chairperson of the National Association for Lesbians Gay Bisexuals and Transgendered, LGBT Denmark, Peder Holk Svendsen said.
