Meet the newly crowned Miss Gay Arizona USofA Newcomer
By Laura Latzko - March 12, 2015
When Aimee V. Justice isn’t hosting the Greek God Review at Apollo’s or sporting the signature Starbucks green apron where he – Zach Meredith by day – works as a manager, she’s preparing for her first national pageant.
Justice was crowned the new Miss Gay Arizona USofA Newcomer 2015 Jan. 25 at The Rock and will travel to Dallas from Aug. 4-7 for the competition.
Echo caught up with Justice following her recent victory.
Echo: You’ve been doing drag for 10 years, what were you like when you first started out in New Orleans?
Justice: I wore a lot of tutus and did pink with navy blue eye shadow – I didn’t know what I was doing back then.
Echo: How has Aimee V. Justice developed over your drag career?
Justice: I think she’s a little more put together and polished. I used to be very in your face and I’ve transformed into this person who people like to be around. I like to make people laugh and have a great time.
Echo: What or who influenced your style of drag?
Justice: Tc Taylor and Divinity, because they were the first ones to really help me become an entertainer. I do a lot of my makeup off of what they taught me, and then the rest of it is self-taught from watching YouTube videos.
Echo: Did you perform with Tc Taylor early on?
Justice: She would book me for her show when it was at Cruisin’ 7th years ago and would force me to talk on the microphone. As funny as it sounds, I was so terrified of speaking on the microphone. I give a lot of credit, being the host that I am, to Tc.
Echo: Do you think bringing comedy to drag pageants hurts or helps you?
Justice: I think it’s always a good thing to be different than everybody else, because if you are the same as everybody else, then what do you bring to the table to make people want to come see you? I think each entertainer should have their own niche and their own personality.
Echo: How did your famous Honey Boo Boo act come about?
Justice: She reminds me a lot of me as a child. Just kind of out there. I would say whatever was on my mind, and I didn’t care if people were looking at me or not. I just did it.
Echo: Congrats on the newcomer title, did you feel a little more freedom in that pageant?
Justice: I was so new to the pageant world when I competed [last] that I listened to everybody else instead of listening to myself. Knowing who I am now as a performer – what people expect from me and what I expect to give people – I go into things with a different mindset. I bring more of myself into it.
Echo: Did you feel nervous before the pageant?
Justice: It’s very nerve-wracking going into something that you’re going to be judged on. You’re going to be put under a microscope and they’re watching every little thing that you do.
Echo: What was the most challenging part of getting ready for the newcomer prelim?
Justice: Getting me there. I’m my worst enemy. I will get into my own head and talk myself out of things. This year, I tried it, and I didn’t succeed in talking myself out of it. I went out there and did it, and I’m very happy about what I did and what I brought.
Echo: What advice do you have for drag queens just starting out in the industry?
Justice: Be who you are, stay true to what you believe and always, always have fun.
