Sydney’s Dion Alexander Crowned Mr Gay Pride Australia 2022

Sydney-based Dion Alexander (34), was crowned Mr Gay Pride Australia on Sunday.

Alexander’s unique pitch of ending homophobia in sport and creating the first ever Australian Football League (AFL) Men’s Pride Round, impressed the judging panel that included Hay Shire Councillor Jenny Dwyer, Kerri Mijok,  Co-creator of Rainbow on the Plains Festival in Hay and Mr Gay Pride Australia 2019 Rad Mitic.

“In this country, I want to be a champion for AFL and be a champion for a Pride Round in the AFL but when I get to Mr Gay World I want to champion for change at all of the large world sporting events such as the World Cup,” said Alexander, in a statement, after he was announced the winner.

Ending Homophobia In Sport

Originally from Adelaide, Alexander is a part of Rainbow Swans, the official LGBTQI supporter group of the AFL team Sydney Swans. He has also assisted with the AFL Pride match that is held annually between Sydney and St Kilda. 

“Currently the Pride Game is just that, a singular game between the Sydney Swans and the St Kilda Men’s AFL teams,” Alexander had said before the competition.

“It is yet to expand beyond the confines of these two clubs into an entire round of all 18 teams like other importantly themed games on the AFL fixture, including Indigenous Round, Heritage Round and the ANZAC appeal round. All are worthy of representation and should have their own round but the absence of a Pride Round misses an opportunity to send a clear message on the type of game the AFL wants Australian Rules Football to be.”

Rainbow On The Plains Festival

Sydney resident Craig Mack was named the runner-up at the finale held on November 27, 2022, at the Rainbow on the Plains Festival in Hay, NSW.

This is the first time since 2019 that the competition is being held in a rural area. “This community in Hay is so amazing. It’s a regional town and regional towns get bad raps for perhaps not being as progressive as the bigger cities from where a lot of us come, but we really have been schooled in how to create a community that doesn’t want to leave anyone behind,” said Alexander. 

“There are some people here that may not necessarily know exactly how they can be supportive but they just want to be supportive and they want to let everyone know in this community it doesn’t matter,” he added.

Alexander will now go on to compete in the Mr Gay World 2023 competition next year.