Jonathan Berry makes history as Mr. Universe 2024. (@jonyberryofficial/Instagram)
Jonathan Berry made history when he became the first Indigenous Australian to be crowned Mr Universe 2024.
The actor, model, and comedian commemorated his historic win as Mr. Universe 2024 on Instagram on August 26th, writing: “So…history was made tonight…I won Mr. Universe!!”
The Palawa man has been at the forefront of Indigenous LGBTQ+ advocacy and representation in the pageant community: he represents the Palawa people on the advisory committee for Sydney World Pride 2023, which will be held in Gadigal County, and has “been instrumental in raising awareness and advocating for LGBTQ+ rights”.
The Mr Universe winner said he is the first Australian to win the Mr or Miss Universe title since Jennifer Hawkins won in 2004. He also said he is “the first Australian male in history and the first Aboriginal person in history!!!!!”
Berry added, “I couldn’t be more proud and grateful for the @_mr_universe organization and @transformation_nights. I’m honored to be a part of this prestigious family!! A huge thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way and made this happen.”
“I’m so grateful to all of the amazing athletes I competed with. It was such an amazing experience getting to know you all and learning about your beautiful countries and cultures,” he said.
The star said she hopes to use her win to “travel the world as a model and show the beauty of Australia,” adding: “I feel so proud, so honoured and so tired.”
In an interview National Indigenous TimesBerry stressed the importance of his win to the Indigenous community.
“It’s an incredible honour and a huge responsibility to represent Australia and the Indigenous community as a whole, and it allows me the opportunity to showcase the richness of our culture and advocate for greater representation,” he told the outlet.
He added: “This time I’m also working from the perspective of inner strength and outer courage. Wearing the Aboriginal flag for Mr World caused a lot of problems around me and I wasn’t in a position to really take on that.”
“I’ve come this far as an Indigenous person, and I want to show the universe how strong we are as Indigenous people,” Berry concluded.
Source: PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news – www.thepinknews.com
