New Zealand contestant wins title as Mr. Gay World comes to Africa

BY DONNA BRYSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS

JOHANNESBURG -- After Mr. Gay Ethiopia entered the Mr. Gay World contest, his father cut off all communications. Mr. Gay Zimbabwe withdrew, fearing the publicity was making life difficult for his mother.

But Mr. Gay Namibia's family accompanied him to the airport for a warm send-off when he left for the competition, which culminated for him and 21 other men late Sunday in the finals at a Johannesburg casino.

"Bring the trophy home," Namibia's Wendelinus Hamutenya said his mother told him.

In the end, New Zealand's Andreas Derleth, a 32-year-old manager for a chain of stationery stores, was named Mr. Gay World. A disappointed Hamutenya said he would nonetheless return to Namibia to fight "for gay rights and human rights."

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