Aniseto Herrera-Lyell is the oldest gay male pageant to have win Mr Gay America in 2022.
Aniseto is not only Mr Gay America, he is also a teacher, an LGBTQ+ activist, a performer and a Michael Jackson impersonator.
Last June he attended the Pride Parade in Nashville in his signature Michael Jackson Drag.
At age 16, after Herrera-Lyell came out as gay, he started performing drag. He attended Passages Youth Center in Kansas City — where bi-monthly they would bring professional drag queens to perform shows for kids. They taught the kids how to put on makeup and get into the art of drag.
Two years later, he performed at the Kansas City Pride Festival in the youth royalty court where he learned about sponsorship and leadership in the LGBTQ community. When Herrera-Lyell competed, he won the Duke of Pride title.
At 19, he perfected his boy drag — which is a cis male who performs drag as a male — with the help of some drag queens who taught him how to skillfully contour and highlight his features. And with his background in dancing, he decided to become the Midwest Michael Jackson.
Michael’s song “Man in the Mirror,” is one of his favorite songs to perform. The lyric “make that change” rings true for Herrera-Lyell.
“You can’t ask others to be better and put forth positivity if you’re not doing it yourself,” he said. “So we got to start with the man in the mirror — with the person looking back at us — and then that change will spread throughout the world.”
Clearly a huge Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson fan as he has Janet’s Velvet Rope symbol tattooed on his arm and went to see her latest tour.
While he is about to give up his title of Mr Gay America, Aniseto continues to perform his Michael Jackson Drag act and fighting for LGBTQ+ rights.
You can follow him on social media: Facebook / Instagram / YouTube
