Titleholders
2012 New Mexico Pride Titleholders
The New Mexico Titleholders are the faces of Pride. These titleholders find opportunities all year long to engage the community, educate, and bring awareness of our LGBT culture through entertainment and appearances.
To learn more about how YOU can become the next New Mexico Pride titleholder click here.
Miss New Mexico Pride 2012 — Shaila Cavali
Shalia Cavali is your Miss New Mexico Pride 2012. Shaila is a 26-year-old native New Mexican transwoman. She is currently the princess consort to his majesty emperor XIX of the United Court of Sandias (UCS), as well as the Land of Enchantment All American Goddess 2011 First Alternate.
She is a graduate of Central New Mexico Community College where she learned the art of Cosmetology. She currently is a licensed Cosmetologist in the state of New Mexico.
She has been very involved over the last few years; she has helped raise money for the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico (TGRCNM), N’MPower and many other organizations. She has been a part of panels at Albuquerque Public School Board meetings as well as University of New Mexico panels regarding safe zone and other initiatives that allows schools to be a safe place for all people. She has also represented Albuquerque Pride, Inc. at the Colorado Springs Coronation and has recently held a benefit show with United Courts of the Sandias; which was very profitable and some proceeds benefiting Albuquerque Pride, Inc. Shaila plans on being involved in many more shows that will help raise awareness and money for this community. Shaila helped raise money for a local food drive, which gave food to the HIV positive patients at First Nations clinic as well as the Truman clinic for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. She also took part in raising money to sponsor sixteen children for 2011’s holiday toy drive. She plans on making more bridges to other organization like UCS as well as the TGRCNM and other branches of the community to make this community more connected and united.
Shaila plans on being very involved with the youth in this community throughout her reign as Miss New Mexico Pride 2012 as well as the future. Currently, she is working with some schools and their Gay-Straight-Alliances on getting the participants more involved in the community and helping make a difference—one child at a time.
Shaila’s platform for 2012 is N’MPower; she was able to raise over $700 for N’MPower. She believes that N’MPower and their goal of educating people about HIV/AIDs and safe sex practices in the LBGTQI community is essential because over 60% of all infected people in New Mexico are from our community. The spread of HIV is preventable and education is the first step in protecting not only ourselves but the younger generations.
Shaila Cavali’s Platform: N’MPower
Platform Information: This community-level intervention is for young gay and bisexual men of diverse backgrounds. It mobilizes men to reduce sexual risk taking, encourages regular HIV testing, builds positive social connections and supports peers to have safer sex. In other words, N’MPower is a non-traditional HIV education and prevention program.
For bookings or more information contact: Shaila Cavali
Mr. New Mexico Pride 2012 — Nic “Rocco” Sedillo
Nic “Rocco Steele” Sedillo is your Mr. NM Pride 2012 and is an entertainer and GLBT activist. He is proud to claim the title as the first transgender Mr. New Mexico Pride in the history of the New Mexico Pride Pageant.
This year he plans on raising awareness and support for the Transgender Resource Center of NM, as well as promoting Albuquerque Pride and all of the NM Pride events this year. His list of accomplishments include being a current board member for the Transgender Resource Center of NM, United Court of the Sandias (UCS) Reign XIX Prince, Albuquerque’s OUTstanding Drag King 2010, MsTer NM Pride 2010, Mr. Merry Christmas 2009, Prince of All Drag Kings for Life with UCS, and former UCS Grand Duke XVII. He is one of the original members of the Albuquerque Kings Club since 2002 and has performed in numerous venues in the southwest and around the United States.
Nic has successfully achieved a Master’s Degree of Arts in Counseling and is currently a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in New Mexico. He plans on using his education to provide hours of therapy at a minimal or free rate to LGBT members in this community through Albuquerque Pride, Inc. and the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico. In the future, Nic hopes to open a private practice to assist people with transition therapy and provided services to the LGBT community.
Throughout this year, Nic would like to be a positive representation of NM’s LGBT community, help people see that “It Does Get Better” and there are resources and support in our community.
Nic Sedillo’s Platform: The Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico
Platform Information: The Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico is being established in order to provide support, education, information, and assistance to the transgender population in the state of New Mexico and their families and loved ones. It is the goal of this organization to address and inform the transgender community in the following areas: supplying educational literature, assisting in acquiring health care and health insurance, assisting in acquiring reassignment surgeries, assisting in acquiring hormone replacement therapy, assisting in acquiring medical care from informed and sensitive health care providers, providing information on public accommodations discrimination, assisting in acquiring identity documents, assisting in acquiring Social Security card modifications, assisting in understanding and expressing one’s gender identity, providing information concerning transgender marriage, parenting, and adoption, providing support and education in the area of harassment in schools, work places, and correctional facilities, raising awareness to the issues surrounding transgender living, engaging in advocacy for the transgender community, promoting personal development, creating programs to eliminate gender identity oppression, providing social, educational, emotional, and functional support for all members of the transgender community, including partners, families, and friends, providing a web site for communication and the dissemination of information, providing a newsletter for communication and the dissemination of information, providing a web “blog” to encourage communication, providing guest educators and resource speakers, and networking with similar organizations throughout North America.
For bookings or more information contact: Nic “Rocco” Sedillo
Interested in having our titleholders speak or attend your next event?
Contact Albuquerque Pride Inc. Director of Titleholders:
