This Ain't No Drag: Greet the New Reigning Miss'd America

Borgata Atlantic City Picks a New “Miss’d America” for 2017 – Mimi Imfurst.

By Jeffrey James Keyes

Newly crowned drag royalty Mimi Imfurst stepped into the spotlight over the weekend with a stage full of talented performers and served up breakfast, lunch and dinner with a performance of “Sweet Transvestite” audience members will be talking about for years. It was no surprise when larger-than-life was later crowned Miss’d America 2017 after funnyman Carson Kressley announced her win before a screaming crowd of supporters at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.

“First of all, I’d like to thank the Borgata for being a leader for the LGBT community here in Atlantic City and for being a great example of what businesses should do in the city of creating amazing events for the LGBT community” said Mimi in a press conference after her performance. “I just wanted to say tonight is sort of ironic for me because when I was very young my aunt used to listen to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and my mom said she wasn’t allowed to listen to it in the house because she was afraid it would make me gay and…it worked.” Along with the crown, Imfurst receives a cash award and will participate in a variety of performances and events throughout the year.

This year’s first runner-up was hometown queen Jenna Tall. Coming in third was the talented and effervescent Roxi Starr. Other notable queens participating in the night’s events included Ms. Farrah Mascara, Champagne Bubbles, ChaCha from California, Washington DC’s Shi-Queeta, Savannah Savonier and Stasha Storm. Writer/Director Mark Dahl led the queens through a outstanding evening of laughter, musical acts, and surprising performances. Fifi Dubois, Miss’d America 2016 entertained the crowd throughout the evening and caught off guard when her boyfriend proposed to her just before crowning Mimi Imfurst Miss’d America.

Miss’d America was started by John Schultz and Gary Hill in 1994 on the Sunday after the Miss America Pageant as a cheeky way to raise cash for local LGBT charities. By having Miss’d America take place annually on the night after that fabled pageant, the pun is that the drag performers ‘missed’ getting into the real pageant at Boardwalk Hall. Over the years Miss’d America has raised over $300,000 for the greater Atlantic City region. These funds have gone to charities like Lamda Legal, South Jersey AIDS Alliance, Manzoni Center in Philadelphia, William Way Community Center, John C. Anderson Senior GLBTA Apartments, Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS and the Human Rights Campaign.

The Borgata’s commitment to the LGBT community goes far beyond the Miss’d America Pageant. The property is a proud member of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association as well as the Independence Business Alliance, Philadelphia’s NGLCC-affiliated chamber of commerce, and the Greater Atlantic City GLBT Alliance. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation named Borgata one of the “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality” in 2016 after the resort received a perfect 100% from the organization’s Corporate Equality Index.

This past April, the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa re-opened after a $14-million renovation of their nightlife venue and debuted the 18,000-square-foot Premier Nightclub, designed by Josh Held (Marquee NYC; TAO Las Vegas; Voyeur Los Angeles). Borgata has 2,000 guest rooms and suites, the cosmopolitan Water Club with 800 additional guest rooms and suites, 184 gaming tables, 3,038 slot machines, a 75+ table poker room, ten retail boutiques, five fine dining restaurants, nine casual dining options, a 54,000 square foot spa, and four signature nightlife options. As one of the preeminent entertainment resorts in Atlantic City, Borgata offers an extraordinary lineup of concerts and shows featuring such talents as Boy George, Cyndi Lauper, Margaret Cho, Alan Cumming, Diana Ross and Kathy Griffin.