Raf Van Puymbroeck voted Mister Gay Belgium 2016

The 21-year-old dance teacher Raf Van Puymbroeck on Saturday was elected Mister Gay Belgium 2016 during the annual male beauty contest in Antwerp. Over the course of the next year, Van Puymbroeck (photo, second from left) will represent the Belgian LGBTI community at numerous events worldwide, with a personal emphasis on greater acceptance of LGBTI men and women in sports, writes Het Laatste Nieuws.

Flemish minister Geert Bourgeois and equal opportunities minister Liesbeth Homans were among the jury members who selected Van Puymbroeck out of 12 finalists to be the new Mister Gay Belgium. The dance coach and teacher would like to see wider acceptance of LGBTI people, particularly in the sports world.

In second place was Abdellah Bijat, a 22-year-old Muslim student from Ghent who hopes that his participation in the contest will inspire other Muslims to find the strength to be themselves.