A desire to be more active to change attitudes towards gay people in small towns is one motivation for Balclutha journalist Samuel White's shot at the Mr Gay New Zealand crown.
Mr White left for Auckland yesterday, one of eight finalists vying for the title that will be decided tomorrow.
The Mr Gay New Zealand event began in 2009 and works with charities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) organisations to help and promote healthy lifestyles.
It looks for New Zealanders who best represent and support LGBTI people, with the winner representing New Zealand at Mr Gay World 2016 in Malta.
Mr White said competing in similar events had motivated him to ‘‘be more proactive and raise my voice in terms of support''.
He returned last year to his childhood home to take up his job at the Otago Daily Times.
He said there were still conservative attitudes in smaller towns compared with metropolitan centres.
‘‘I think the difference would be in Auckland it's more centralised, so it's easier to find groups or find others who are like you, because you're all in the same area.
‘‘It's easier to form a group and associate with one another, in which case you can form a unity and sort of stand together if there's something you want to stand for or against, or just hang out as friends.''
Rural towns were more likely to be conservative and view gay people as ‘‘somehow wrong or unusual''.
He said in Balclutha he did not ‘‘go around waving a rainbow flag down the street or anything like that''.
However he would refer to his boyfriend as his boyfriend, rather than describing him as his partner or friend.
‘‘I make it very clear, particularly on social media as well.''
He said he felt ‘‘pretty nervous but also pretty good'' about the competition.
‘‘All we've been told is we have to dress in casual wear and formal wear for a segment on the stage.
‘‘I assume they're going to grill us on our knowledge and whether or not we're a good leader and a good role model and how well-versed we are in issues facing the LGBT community.''
Leadership, engagement and public communication are all competition criteria.
