Vaccine-O-Licious 19 Takes Brooklyn by Storm!

On Sunday, June 9, Columbia Research Unit and Project ACHIEVE's Vaccine-O-Licious drag pageant for HIV vaccine research was held before a packed audience at 3 Dollar Bill in Brooklyn. This event marked the pageant's 19th edition overall and its second consecutive year at 3 Dollar Bill.

The evening's theme—"Vaccine, Volunteer, Vote"—was woven throughout its program, which focused on the importance of community advocacy and voting in this presidential election year. The night was peppered with informational speeches by Project ACHIEVE and CRU staff about ongoing HIV vaccine research, and the pageant's Q&A section challenged contestants to address such topics as sexual health education, access to HIV prevention resources, volunteering for LGBTQIA+ people, and the importance of being politically active.

Hosted by Jus Jahlisa (the Queen of Vaccine) and Stella D’oro (the Queen Mum of Vaccine), Vaccine-O-Licious 19 was sponsored by AIDS Healthcare Foundation, ViiV Healthcare, the New York Blood Center, and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

The judges' panel included Community Advisory Board member Cam Gowdicott; Harlem Pride's David Bridgeforth; Miss Hell's Kitchen 2023 Amanda Pörq; and nationally recognized HIV advocate, POZ blogger, and burlesque artist JMV. Pörq and JMV also took to the stage as guest performers, as did Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Jayse Vegas and Mx. Vaccine-O-Licious 18's first runner-up, AriaJae.

In the competition's talent section, the eight drag performers vying for the crown dazzled the room with a diverse array of live singing and lip sync performances. While the judges deliberated, prizes including a smart TV, a three-day stay in the Poconos, and tickets to Broadway Bares were raffled off to guests.

In the end, it was Lanyé Armön who won the title of Mx. Vaccine-O-Licious 19. In the coming year, Armön will partner with CRU and Project ACHIEVE as a research advocate that will help both clinical trial sites liaise with the LGBTQIA+ community.

In addition to being the best attended Vaccine-O-Licious to date, Sunday's event was also the highest profile. Local news outlets including NBC New York, News 12 Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and Harlem World Magazine were on site to cover the competition and broadcast information about the research it highlighted.

The second half of 2024 and beginning of 2025 are slated to contain a series of community engagement events hosted by the rising Mx. Vaccine-O-Licious 19. Keep an eye on CRU’s social media (Instagram, Facebook, X) for more details!