In only a few weeks’ time 12 men will compete for the title of Mr Gay Europe in Stockholm.
We are pleased to announce that helping decide who walks away with the title this year will be the one and only Austin Armacost.
Austin is an international cover model, TV personality, gay rights activist, and recent two time Celebrity Big Brother All Star.
Adding to Austin’s list of accomplishments in the television world is his accomplishments in the fight for equality and justice around the world.
In 2010 Austin joined the fight against the (Defense Of Marriage Act) in the United States. DOMA stated that federal bodies of government would not recognize marriage unless it was between a man and a woman.
Austin, along with thousands of supporters, volunteers, attorneys, and LGBT activist around the country worked together to show the United States that this law was wrong, discriminatory, and constitutionally illegal.
He worked with organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign & Immigration Equality for years. Finally, in the summer of 2013, DOMA fell in the United States Supreme Court and an unimaginable ray of hope beamed in the eyes of LGBT fighters around the world.
The United States had finally accepted that being gay was “normal.” Only a few years later would the US Supreme Court make gay marriage legal in every single state in the land. This is, in his own words, his greatest accomplishment.
With a plethora of television shows in dozens of countries, he is looking to continue his career in TV & film. He also continues to advocate for equality globally now turning his fight to the trans community.
“Transgender rights is the next forefront of this movement” Austin says. “True equality will never be achieved until we accept the people within our own minority and treat trans people with respect, dignity, and compassion.”
Austin is excited to be coming to Stockholm as a judge but this is not his first time on the international stage in this position. In 2013, Austin sat as a celebrity guest judge for the Miss International Queen Pageant in Pattaya, Thailand. MIQ is the world’s largest transsexual beauty pageant taking place annually with an average of 25 delegates from as many countries.
He says “I am looking for a delegate that can be a wonderful role model for our community. In Europe, although widely accepted, we still have a battle until every LGBT person is recognized and protected under the law.”