He’s a pro at barbering, and now Tia Craig Walters is a finalist at the up and coming Mr Gay New Zealand competition.
“My reasoning for entering Mr Gay NZ was not only to help takatāpui and younger Māori youth, but also to bring awareness that we are not all the stereotypically muscle build,” Mr Walters told TVNZ1's Te Karere.
“We all have different bodies, different builds, so I’m here to stand for body diversity."
Mr Walters, a descendant of Ngāpuhi, says his main aim is to be a role model for Māori youth.
“I want to show young Māori even though some of us grow up in a dark background, we can move out and come in to the light.”
The Mr Gay New Zealand competition started in 2009 as a way to highlight the issues facing the rainbow community, as well as to grow community leaders.
Jethro Gardiner, a descendant of Ngāi Te Rangi, has also secured a spot in the competition. He’s excited to promote the issues he’s passionate about.
“I want be able to showcase that regardless of your upbringing, your lifestyle, regardless of the things you think is going against you, there’s avenues for you to succeed in a way that’s beyond your imagination,” Mr Gardiner said.
Gay rights is also something that’s inspiring him to enter the competition.
“There are also a lot of people out there who are stuck, and so I really want to drive home because that was me. I was not proudly out with my sexuality in a straight world, but now I stand proudly in my sexuality in a straight world,” he said.
Mr Walters added, “I know that there are some people that don’t accept us for who we are, but it’s helping them understand that we are still human and we are the same.”
Online voting opens this Sunday, with the winner to be announced at next week’s Big Gay Out.
SHARE ME