Dressing in drag: 'Could you walk a day in my shoes?'

ENGLEWOOD — Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson and a drag queen from Tampa were just some of the contestants dancing in heels at the Elks Lodge Saturday night.

The third annual Hunks in Heels show is an iconic trademark in Englewood started by Dawn Stephens in memory of her son Spencer. Her nonprofit, Spread Spencer's Sparkle, is all about kindness, acceptance and love.

"Our nonprofit was created out of love for this community," Stephens said. "We aim to build a stronger and more united community for all."

The show keeps getting bigger and bigger, welcoming 350 guests and raising over $47,000 to give back to the community. Behind those achievements is a mission.

"I only wish Spencer had gotten a chance to experience this kind of love when he was here, but I know he is proud of all of our efforts to stand up for equality, diversity and inclusivity," she said. "I want every kid out there to know that someone out there is rooting for them, and that someone is me."

The show is meant to not only inspire others to try something new and get out of their comfort zone but also to walk a day in someone else's shoes, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community.

"Walk as a human carrying grief, a human dealing with abuse, a human who battles depression or anxiety, a human in the LGBTQ+ community and a human of color — just a human," she said. "Whatever their battle may be, they're walking someone else's shoes to try and understand how that person feels."

Dawn said that the show is entertaining, but it also boils down to empathy.

"It's like I lost a limb, but none of you here can see that," she said. "Could you walk a day in my shoes?"

Spencer loved shoes and fashion and purple hair. He was kind even when others weren't kind to him.

"All you're trying to do is understand yourself and live in the same world as everyone else," Dawn said, speaking about Spencer's struggles. "Life was hard for him, but he didn't have a choice because they were simply the shoes he was born with."

The ten hunks that danced in their stilettos and go-go boots understood that.

"I understood that Spencer was a great person in this work, and I wanted to do this for him as well as myself," David Deeds, hunk, said. "I was in the hospital looking at death's door, and I said 'I'm gonna do stuff that's gonna open me up to the world."

Deeds received a life-saving liver transplant six months ago. Jay Johnson, hunk, has been HIV positive for ten years and wanted to spread awareness.

"It's livable, it's survivable and I'm happy and healthy," Johnson said. "When I heard about Spencer, I thought to myself 'I was, I am Spencer.'"

The hunks danced to songs by ABBA, Michael Jackson, Queen and more, but there can only be one winner who was crowned by Tampa Bay Drag Queen Veronica Foxx.

First place went to Shea Hutchinson, second place went to Brent Sheldon and third place went to Johnson.

"I cross my fingers that each person in this room carries Spencer in their hearts and acts out of kindness because of the way he lived his life," Juliana Stephens said. "Spencer, thank you for teaching us to be kinder, to love harder and to be ourselves."