CHRISTEPHER WEE
Writing by Lisa Doan
Layout by Maron Amitay
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To vote for Christepher for Mr. Gay World, visit this link here: http://mrgayworld.com/vote/
Visit Christepher's official site, www.christepherwee.com, for more information.
I was in mid-conversation when from the corner of my eye, I saw a crowd slowly starting to form. Curiosity piqued, I manuevered to find out why. In the middle of the crowd was a man, posing for pictures.
At that time, I didn't know who he was; yet it was obvious that many people did.
I remember the first time I met Christepher.
I was sitting at a table and making small talk with the people around me. Topics of conversation ranged from how amazing it was for the place to serve shrimp, to where everyone was from, and if they were enjoying their time.
We were all at the International Grand Marshal and Human Rights Reception, as a part of celebrating World Pride Toronto.
Attendees were dispersed across Innis Campus; some chose to hover over the buffet table while others danced to the music provided by the standing DJ.
Christepher's natural ability to communicate with people and his contagious passion has rightfully guided him to a life of activism and public speaking.
Currently holding the title of Mr. Gay Canada 2014, Christepher will be travelling to Rome to represent Canada in this year's Mr. Gay World competition.
The week-long pageant begins on August 24, where 32 delegates from across the world are expected to complete a series of challenges including an interview, a photoshoot, and a written test on LGBTQ history.
The winner will be determined by a combination of a panel of judges and public voting, and will be named as an ambassador for gay rights.
"It's kind of like interviewing for a job," explains Christepher. "One of the reporters I've been interviewed by said to me last week it looks like I've already been doing the job of Mr. Gay World, and there's a saying that if you're applying for a job, you should already be doing the job you're applying for."
Since winning Mr. Gay Canada, Christepher has been busy travelling around the country, attending Pride celebrations back-to-back.
In June, he was in Toronto for the World Pride Human Rights Conference and later walked in the World Pride Parade. Afterwards, he returned to British Columbia and was a keynote speaker at Surrey Pride. His speech adressed the issue of the city not raising the rainbow flag and its significance. Then earlier this month, he celebrated Vancouver Pride which took place in his current hometown.
Despite being busy since winning Mr. Gay Canada and attending a never-ending string of events, Chris has yet to feel any signs of exhaustion. In between events and meetings, he manages to schedule time to "relax".
Christepher is actively working with community groups and participates in numerous projects to promote gay rights. Currently, he is an ambassador for Health Initiative for Men, Rainbow Refugee Canada and modeled for a visual campaign to help gay minorities feel more comfortable with coming out and accepting who they are. Recently, Chris was named as a national resource for MyGSA Canada, which means any school, principal or student can contact him for support.
"The work that I have been doing, locally and internationally, and my vision has taken off beyond my expectations," says Christepher. "You have to live the life of an activist and [as] someone who is serious about community service.
Be the change you want to see in the world."
He remembers being active in the community ever since he was in school; volunteering at museums and in senior homes. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelors of Fine Arts and a Bachelors of Education and pursued a career in teaching art.
During a six-month sabbatical from teaching to travel to Asia, Christepher was discovered in Hong Kong by a talent agent. This jumpstarted his unexpected career in acting and modelling, which he did for six years.
With over fifty ads and campaigns under his belt and experience as a talk show host, Christepher witnessed how fame can be used to help reach a wider audience and raise awareness on certain issues. This proved true once again as winning the title of Mr. Gay Canada has given him more opportunities to promote human rights. It has ultimately made him a more visible figure in the LGBTQ community.
"When I was just Christepher Wee, knocking on doors [and] saying 'I want to get involved'; a lot of times you wait a long time for an email to get back to you or people don't get back to you.
Knocking on doors as Christepher Wee, Mr. Gay Canada, has definitely opened up many doors because they see you in a different light. With that title comes publicity for them as well."
A family man, Christepher is not ruling out starting a family of his own and considers the possibility of adding 'being a father' to his lengthy repertoire.
"I love kids," states Christepher.
"If I have kids, it would definitely be adoption. That is something I've always thought about having kids since I was young,
because you see so many kids who need a home."
While his life is currently a whirlwind of excitement, Christepher was asked to imagine retirement and what he would do once things start to die down:
Throughout all of his work, the support Christepher has received has been overwhelming. With an active following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, he says everyone has been his greatest supporters.
Christepher grew up in a large, close-knit family and despite his hectic schedule, he always finds time to see them.
In a few days, Christepher will be jetsetting to Rome in hopes of bringing home the title of Mr. Gay World. However, that begs the question of 'What's next?' for him, a trailblazing activist who can't seem to stop.
The man I later learned to be Christehper Wee, and winner of this year's Mr. Gay Canada pageant, eventually had to set down his plate of food as the queue of people awaiting for their chance to take a photograph grew longer.
I joined in line and then became the impromptu photographer for many of the photos.
Christepher's food remained on the table, untouched. This didn't seem to bother him as he took his time greeting each person and making conversation.
When it was finally my turn for a picture, Christepher immediately came closer and placed his arm around me, gaining an intimacy often shared by year-long friends.
He asked me if we could take another photo with his camera so he would be able to have a copy as well. Then, he told me about winning Mr. Gay Canada and how he was preparing to go to Rome to compete in the international competition. We made sure to exchange contact information; that way, I could see the photo we took and we can keep in touch after the reception.
As he walked away, the first thing that struck me was how comfortable I was talking to him. The second was how it seemed like a lot of people felt the same.
Amongst these supporters are his family and friends, who recognize his current lifestyle is undoubtedly 'him'.