celebrations, and flying dollar bills. Photo by Theo Bickel.
In a sweep of all categories, amidst hugs, celebrations, and flying dollar bills, Dezonikah Michealz was crowned Miss Island Goddess at the eponymous pageant held on April 5 at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort.
The annual Miss Island Goddess pageant, hosted by United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance Washington (UTOPIA Washington), is a showcase, platform for activism, community fundraiser, and a celebration of the cultural riches and diversity of queer and/or trans and gender diverse Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
Before her crowning, Michealz performed a piece that ominously began with her on stage with news clips of President Trump announcing attacks on gender affirming care.
At one point during Michaelz’s performance to the song “Dear Mr. President” by Indigo Girls and Pink, projectors overlaid an American flag on her. At the end of her performance, Michaelz dropped to her knees, with her backup dancers bringing signs to the stage. She received a standing ovation from the crowd before being crowned.
Founded in 2009, UTOPIA Washington works to empower and address the challenges facing the Queer and Trans Pacific Islander (QTPI) community in South King County. It is led by women identifying as transgender and/or Fa’afafine, a Samoan cultural term translated as “in the manner of a woman.”
This year’s Miss Island Goddess kicked off with an opening number by Tepatasi Vaina, Miss Island Goddess 2024. Donato Fatuesi and Aleksa Manila, who are both social activists and performers, emceed the event. The event also featured a guest performance by Kween Kong, a drag queen and artist of Tongan-Samoan heritage from Adelaide, Australia, who was a finalist in RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, Season 2.
“The Miss Island Goddess title represents far more than a mere pageant; it stands as a community fundraiser that centers cultural pride, advocacy, and the pursuit of equity and social justice,” according to UTOPIA Washington’s website. “Through a Queer and Transgender Pacific Islander cultural lens, contestants hailing from the QTPI community, and all our queer, trans and gender diverse communities of color to take to the stage, each adorned not just with grace and elegance but with a fervent desire to champion our communities causes and uplift marginalized voices. It’s a showcase where talent, beauty and aspiration intertwine with purpose, activism, and the pursuit of progress.”
The pageant underwent a 3-year hiatus due to COVID-19, returning in 2023.
Winner’s Circle Presentation. Photo by Theo Bickel.
Goddess Wear. Photo by Theo Bickel.
before curtain time. Photo by Theo Bickel.
Wear. Photo by Theo Bickel.
Theodore Kenzo Dante Bickel is a Seattle-based photographer who has contributed to the International Examiner since 2024. He uses visual storytelling to showcase the vitality of the Chinatown-International District and contemporary Asian American communities in Seattle. He is Shin-Nikkei Japanese American. Born in Portland, Oregon, he grew up in the wilds of southwest Washington state. Theo, or “Tay-o” as his friends call him, found himself putting down roots in the C-ID shortly after arriving in Seattle in 2013. He has spent over a decade working in C-ID community non-profits in development, community engagement, civil rights advocacy, and communications. Theo was one of seven Seattle-based Asian American photographers that published the photography exhibit “Through the Eyes of a Tiger” in May 2023. The photo exhibit blended holistic, not homogenous, views of the C-ID in a critical time of regrowth and development.
