Category Archives: USofAPageants

Over the course of the past two weeks, USofA Pageants, LLC has been devastated by several tragic losses that have shaken our family. I would like to personally thank everyone that has reached out either to myself, Jenna Skyy, our national titleholders, former national titleholders, promoters, and contestants and expressed their condolences.

USofA Pageants, LLC has and always will be a family of people that share a common bond. We are there for each other in good times and bad and no one is ever truly alone. While the losses that we have experienced have been extremely emotional and we are still dealing with our grief, certain things have been predetermined. In 2016-2017, when we reorganized the company and formed USofA Pageants, LLC, Linda and Jerry made the decision that in the event of their passing, ownership of the company would automatically transfer to me. Over the years, the three of us had many conversations about the vision for the company and how to properly ensure that company continued to operate without their involvement. In 2019, we continued to discuss the future of the company and decided to bring on Jenna Skyy as my partner. Linda and Jerry had specific roles they wanted the two of us to occupy and we are going to honor their wishes.

USofA Pageants, LLC is the same strong company that it was a month ago. Linda and Jerry built the company on the virtue of Integrity, which in essence is to keep your word and do what you say you are going to do. This foundation is at the core of everything that we do. To that end, we are continuing to hold our pageants and contests as scheduled.

Miss Gay Missouri USofA is September 9th-11th at Martha’s Vineyard in Springfield, Missouri. The promoter is Jodi Santana and she can be reached at [email protected].
Miss Gay Illinois USofA is September 12th at Buckwater Brewery in Carbondale, Illinois. The promoter is also Jodi Santana and she can be reached at [email protected].

We will be having a celebration of life gathering on October 3rd from 3pm-6pm at the Bayou Place in Houston, Texas. The group organizing it can be reached at [email protected].

As a result of Craig’s passing, Jenna Skyy and I will be producing Mr. Gay USofA and Mr. Gay USofA At Large this year. We can be contacted at either [email protected] and [email protected].

Mr. Gay USofA At Large is October 11th-12th at the Rose Room in Dallas, Texas.
Mr. Gay USofA is October 13th-15th also at the Rose Room in Dallas, Texas.

All decisions regarding the new promoter(s) for the pageants and contests that Craig produced will be made the month after the crowning of Mr. Gay USofA and Mr. Gay USofA At Large.

Miss Gay USofA Classic is scheduled for May 22nd-23rd and Miss Gay USofA is scheduled for May 24th-27th. More information about Miss Gay USofA and Miss Gay USofA Classic will be released in January 2022 as it is normally done.

In closing, I would again like to thank from the bottom of my heart all the people that have contacted either Jenna Skyy or myself via phone, text, email, or on social media to express their condolences and offer to help in any way they can. While I sincerely appreciate all of the love and support and I am not able to list all of the people individually, I do want to specifically thank Jim Flint, the Continental Pageantry System, Simba Hall, and Mr. Gay America for using their platforms to express their condolences and allow the community to show their respect.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to either Jenna Skyy or myself.

Scott Burk Jenna Skyy

[email protected] [email protected]

Miss Gay USofA, Miss Gay USofA At Large, Miss Gay USofA Classic, Miss Gay USofA Newcomer, Miss USofA Diva, Mister USofA MI, Mister USofA MI Classic, Mr Gay USofA, Mr Gay USofA At Large, Policies, USofAPageants

Criminal convictions, parole, probation, and sex offender registry

June 7, 2021 Scott Burk

USofA Pageants LLC has always focused on helping our people personally and professionally develop themselves and those around them. We pride ourselves on our people-first approach because without the people in our industry — promoters, contestants, entertainers, and fans — we would not be able to produce pageants and contests.

We firmly believe that it is not our responsibility to investigate, interrogate, or punish any individuals who have been convicted of a crime or placed on parole or probation. This responsibility rests with both the individuals and their local or state judiciary.

We understand that we are all human and mistakes happen; however, we also believe that when individuals make mistakes, they should be given every opportunity to correct their mistakes and show through their actions that they have learned from their mistakes. In past competitions, we have seen contestants utilize their experiences in the correctional system to demonstrate self-improvement in the interview category, educate and promote self-development in the community, and mentor others so they do not make the same mistakes as the contestant.

However, we have become aware of instances where individuals were convicted of a crime and incarcerated or placed on parole or probation either prior to their reign or during their reign, and their promoter was not made aware of the situation until the last minute. This causes an extreme hardship on our promoters because they must rush to find a representative to take the place of their reigning titleholder. This stress is in addition to the expenses a promoter has likely already incurred promoting the reigning titleholder for an event and securing travel and accommodations.
As a result of this continuing issue, effective immediately, we are adding the following to our existing rules and regulations that will apply to all nine national divisions and all levels (local/city, state, and regional).

1. Any titleholder, contestant, judge, or promoter who is currently on parole/probation (or is placed on parole/probation at any time):
     a. must notify the national office via email at [email protected] immediately.
     b. must provide written documentation regarding the details of their parole/probation in a timely manner and (at the discretion of the national office) :
          i. is found to be able to continue their responsibilities, no action will be taken against them.
          ii. is found NOT to be able to continue their responsibilities, they will be removed from their position immediately and prohibited from any and all participation within USofA Pageants, LLC until they have completed the terms of their parole/probation and repaid any prizes paid to them by their promoter.
     c. who fails to notify the national office that they are on parole/probation or provide written documentation regarding the details of their parole/probation will be immediately banned from USofA Pageants, LLC for a period of five (5) years and have to repay any prizes paid to them by their promoter.
2. Written documentation submitted to the national office will be maintained in the strictest confidence and will only be disclosed to the CEO and Executive Vice-President.

The one exception to the above rules is any criminal conviction which results in an individual being placed on a national or state sex offender registry list. Due to the unique restrictions on individuals placed on a sex offender registry list (which can vary by city and state), mandatory sex offender registration places an undue burden on promoters. For example, promoters would need to determine if a venue or hotel is within a specific geographic area of a school, child care facility, or park, depending on state and local laws. Therefore, the following rule applies, effective immediately:

1. Any titleholders, contestants, judges, entertainers, or promoters who are currently on a national or state sex offender registry list are permanently banned from any and all participation in USofA Pageants, LLC until such time as they can demonstrate that they are no longer on a sex offender registry list.
Although the above rules may seem intrusive to some, they are designed to ensure that we are in the best position to make decisions before a situation arises. This announcement should not be construed as a punitive measure, rather as a preventive measure to ensure that all titleholders, contestants, judges, entertainers, and promoters are able to complete their responsibilities without untimely delays or expenses.

Should you have any questions regarding this announcement, please contact us at [email protected]

Sincerely,
USofA Pageants, LLC