05/01/2026
Heavenly Reflections Vol. 2 - Spring 2026
Hello my loves! How are you? Are you feeling lovely? Are you feeling fine? Are you feeling glorious, and divine? I hope you are, because I am! And I am so excited to welcome you to this 2nd regular edition of Heavenly Reflections! SO MUCH to catch you up on - let’s get to it!
Keeping Busy
Pageant season isn’t quite yet here, so I’ve spent the last few months busy with multiple performances, events, and appearances.
In February, I was invited to be a part of a music bingo fundraiser show, benefiting the LGBT Center Youth Programming in Harrisburg, PA. We had a great time and by the end of the night, over $900 was raised! A huge thank you is in order to all the attendees of the event and all the funds they helped raise. It is truly amazing to see community and allies come together and support important causes.
For the second consecutive year, I was invited to be a part of the annual Philly Youth Health and Wellness Summit held in Philadelphia in mid-March. During the event, myself and performers with Philly Drag Mafia were able to meet with middle schoolers in the greater Philadelphia Area, offering encouragement, taking pictures, and along with the Philly Gay Men’s Chorus, we were able to perform for everyone at the conclusion of the event! Hearing stories from the students and staff, seeing their faces light up, and knowing we made a positive impact on the lives of our precious youth means everything to me. Performing is amazing; making someone else’s day is better.
March proved to be a particularly busy month. I was interviewed and featured in an article in Art & Beauty magazine; I was able to attend the 2nd annual Miss International Queen USA pageant in Atlantic City; I attended a local community showcase featuring elementary-school aged dance students from Los Pueblitos at Taller Puertorriqueño (the kids put on a GREAT show! I was so impressed. The show was set in the world of Oz, and the production value was A+!); I was invited by Philly Drag Mafia to participate in a video- and photoshoot campaign with Visit Philly ahead of this year’s 250th anniversary celebrations of the US’s independence. I also had my first of four step-downs this year, the Miss Crimson Moon 2026 pageant at Crimson Moon in Wilmington, DE. It’s unbelievable how fast a year goes by! Reigning as Miss Crimson Moon 2025 was an honor, and I was both excited and a little sad to pass on the title. If this is foreshadowing for my remaining step-downs this year, I’ll need plenty of tissues for the tears.
Miss Gay Pennsylvania America 2026 Pageant Season Prep
After I stepped down from Miss Crimson Moon, I was fully able to shift my focus to the Miss Gay Pennsylvania America 2026 pageant season. There are so many exciting developments I can’t wait to share with you!
The first bit of news to share is recognizing our new state promoter, Rene Bionat! Rene comes to us with a long-standing background in the pageant world. We are all eager to see his contributions to the Miss Gay Pennsylvania America pageant system. In addition to this transition at the state level, there are some transitions at the city level also. Several city level prelims will be returning this year, with some previously held prelims making a comeback. We have new city level prelim promoters joining our team this year, including a brand-new prelim! Details are still being finalized as of this writing, so look out for social media posts with announcements of all prelim dates and locations.
We are very happy to have six prelims this year, meaning the Miss Gay Pennsylvania America 2026 class will have 12 stellar contestants competing in November. How exciting! Interested contestants reading this newsletter – reach out NOW to get your application in to one of our city level prelims, so that you can qualify to compete for Miss Gay Pennsylvania America 2026! You can reach out to myself, any member of our state promoter team, any city level promoter, or the reigning city level titleholders. Don’t delay; secure your spot to compete before it’s too late! Many of our prelims are being held in late summer and early autumn, so there’s plenty of time to prepare your packages for competition. If you have any questions, I’m always here to help! I’ve already taken the time to speak with multiple prospective contestants this year and I am beyond thrilled to see what they bring.
I knew that being a state titleholder would involve more than just a title in name alone - responsibilities and obligations would come with the title. I knew reigning would keep me very busy, and I knew I’d face challenges. Change in ownership at the city and state levels, coordinating schedules for meetings with city and state promoter teams, confirming prelim dates, and navigating unfortunate developments, all presented me with unique opportunities to demonstrate that I’m capable of rising to the occasion to get the job done. Winning a city, state, or regional title are all pre-cursors to competing (and eventually winning) the national title of Miss Gay America. It is my personal aim to weather any storm during my reign so that when the day comes for “the big one”, I’ll be ready. I’ll have developed the tools necessary to be worthy of a national crown.
Staying Grounded
I’ve shared updates with things related to drag from the past few months, but don’t forget I still have a life outside of being a performer. My everyday life has been no less busy! I try my best to take care of my mental and physical health. As such, I make sure to take the time for physical fitness endeavors. I’ve been training to run the Broad Street Run, a popular 10mile race in Philadelphia. By the time this newsletter is published, I will have (successfully) run it! Training for this event is much easier with my husband by my side, as he will also be running in the Broad Street run, notably after also running the Love Run, a half-marathon (13.1 miles) at the end of March! He’s a superstar! I’ve gone on training runs with him all during winter and early spring (apart from the very snowy weather we had. I did not want to run outside on snow and ice!).
My husband surprised me with tickets to see the Tina Turner off Broadway show while it was touring. I often do a Tina Turner illusion/impression during my performances (fun fact: my winning talents for both Miss Crimson Moon 2025 and Miss Gay Central Pennsylvania America 2025 was a Tina Turner greatest hits medley performance) so seeing this show was eye opening and so very inspiring. I loved every minute of it! I can’t wait to enhance my performances in the months to come.
I’ve done a bit of traveling recently as well, primarily for my full-time job. In February, I spent a week in the UK, and in April, I spent two weeks in Japan (another fun fact: I’m writing this newsletter edition while flying back home from Tokyo, Japan. I’m in hour 2 of a 12-hour flight, plenty of time to write 😊).
You can imagine, with my busy performance schedule, taking care of my duties as Miss Gay Pennsylvania America, working full-time including international travel, spending quality time with my husband, extended family and friends, it is imperative that I set time aside to stay grounded and care for my own personal mental and physical health. All too often it’s easy to take our lives for granted and neglect things that deserve our attention. April also brought with it significant anniversaries. My mother passed away 5years ago, in April 2021; her father, my grandfather, passed away 6years ago, in April 2020. I took some time to myself to visit their shared gravesites. No matter what comes your way in life, I think it’s so important to be grateful for each day above ground. Nothing in this life is permanent; make the most of it while you can. Do good to others. Exude positivity. Be the reason someone smiles, each and every day.
What’s Next
The past few months have certainly been fulfilling, and I don’t expect things to slow down any time soon! In just a few weeks, the first prelim of the year will be held for Miss Gay Pennsylvania America 2026. This prelim is special to me, not only because it will be my first prelim overseeing as the state titleholder, but it is also my second of four step-downs for the year – Miss Gay Central Pennsylvania America! What a great way to start the pageant season!
Soon after, June will be here. My schedule is jam packed with Pride Month activities! I can’t wait to see everyone out and about! I’ll still be busy prepping for remaining prelims, performing here and there and everywhere in-between, and doing what I can to make sure I stay happy and healthy.
Thank you for taking some time to reflect on these past few months with me! Look out for the 3rd edition of Heavenly Reflections in August where I’ll recap my summer and prepare for autumn. We’ll chat soon!
Love and Light,
Heavens 2 Betsy Stratton
Miss Gay Pennsylvania America 2025
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