Heavenly Reflections Volume 3 - Summer 2026 *** DRAFT ***

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 3rd regular edition of Heavenly Reflections! This past quarter has been jammed packed - grab a seat, a cup of tea, and let's get to it!

Pride

May, June, and July have been all about PRIDE. June may be the official Pride month, but we celebrate pride all year round in this house. The pride gigs kept me quite busy these last few months - I've been all over Southeastern PA, Central PA, and northern DE. I've had the privilege of judging multiple Pride pageants, including a prelim to PhillyPride 365 in Philadelphia, Mx Cabaret Pride in Swarthmore, and the Drag Idol finale in Harrisburg. I've performed at Central PA Pride, Gettysburg Pride, and Pitman, NJ Pride, while also taking some personal time to attend Philly Pride, East Passyunk Pride, and the inaugural Medford Pride in NJ. Seeing so many people supporting these events in their local communities always warms my heart. I love seeing familiar faces and connecting with new faces also. There's something about being around your "people" that seems to take all the stress away, even if only just for a few hours. I know I'm not alone when I say this year's Pride season was one for the books! It was great!

Miss Gay Pennsylvania America

Keeping up with my normal drag schedule can be fairly time consuming. Still, there's so much more that keeps me engaged with the community. There are lots of tasks and things to attend to behind the scenes as they relate to Miss Gay Pennsylvania America. In May, the first prelim of the season kicked off, which also happens to have been my 2nd of 4 step-downs this year. We crowned Miss Gay Central Pennsylvania America and welcomed our first 2 contestants into the 2026 class of Miss Gay Pennsylvania America! Coming up this quarter, the remining prelims will take place, and we'll welcome up to 8 more contestants into the class. There is so much planning involved with each prelim and so many variables to consider - securing venues, finalizing schedules for pageant day, confirming judges, tabulators, MC's, DJ's, entertainers, and of course, recruiting contestants to compete. Even in ideal circumstances that is a lot to be a part of!

During this past quarter, additional administrative changes in the Miss Gay Pennsylvania America system have transpired. Our 6th planned prelim for this season needed more time to develop, so we are keeping our focus on the 5 secured prelims for 2026. At the highest level of administration, we welcomed our new promoter for the remainder of the 2026 season. Miss Gay Pennsylvania America has been in place for over 30 years and has weathered many iterations of adjustments administratively, and we are confident that this year will continue on and will thrive as we've always done before. I do my best to stay well informed - I've heard the whispers, I see the looks, I understand the concerns. I am making this resolve clearly and loudly: Miss Gay Pennsylvania America 2026 will be a year to remember. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will lastingly tarnish the hard work, dedication, and determination of all those involved with this system. We are a family made up of many individuals with strong personalities, all who collectively love what has been built over many years. Families may not always agree, families may not always follow the same approach, and family members may need time apart, but families always band together and support one another when the need arises. I need my family, and I am confident my family is going to pull through in ways that will not be forgotten. Trust.

Family

This is a great time to let you all in a little bit into my everyday life, with my non-drag family. In June, my husband and I celebrated our 10th anniversary together! We kept our dating and marriage anniversary on the same date, so it's easier to remember, lol, meaning we also celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. It's crazy to think we've been together for a decade now. He truly is my best friend, and I enjoy every moment I can with him. He's my favorite person. :) In early July, I celebrated my 39th birthday! That's right, I'm 1 year away from entering my 40's. I'm doing everything I can to make sure this last year of my 30's is a good year. Aside from celebrations, I had a few work trips this past quarter, which took me to Florida. In May, I also found myself doing my civic duty and serving on a trial as a juror. This was my first time on jury duty, and it was definitely an experience. I'll keep my thoughts off the written record on that topic - come find me and I'll share in person.

There have been some other developments in my personal life with regards to family that have proven to be quite challenging. Caring for aging family members with failing health is a struggle so many of us will face at some point in our lives. I'm doing my best to be there for my family during these difficult times. Being present and enjoying every moment is sometimes all I can do, and I'm happy to do it.

What's Next

So, what's next on the horizon for this next quarter? I'm busy preparing for the remaining prelims for Miss Gay Pennsylvania America, as well as my 3rd step down of the year as Miss Bob & Barbara's. My 4th and final step down will be Miss Gay Pennsylvania America 2026 in November.

The 4th and final edition of Heavenly Reflections will be released in early November 2026. In that final edition, I'll share my overall reflections of my year as a state titleholder. I have some exciting news to share as well, so be sure to look out for when the edition is made available! Until then, I hope everyone stays happy and healthy, and enjoys the last few weeks of summer, and the first few weeks of autumn!

Love and Light,

Heavens 2 Betsy Stratton

Miss Gay Pennsylvania America 2025