The dance competition set for this past Saturday at Whiteville High School was cancelled for non-payment of the rental fee.
Superintendent Jonathan Williams said today (Monday) that the organizers for the event did not pay the rental fee when the contract was signed three weeks ago. The city schools rental policy requires payment when the contract is signed, he said.
“We wanted to be consistent, and had to look at the system’s policies,” he said. “Three other events are slated for the gym. The rules are the same for every group.”
The Who Hotter Than Me controversy began due to the celebrity host for the event, Tyrus Sellers. The majorette dance contest was not sponsored by the school system, but as hosted by Alisha Love, who runs a majorette dance group in the county.
Sellers is a nationally known coach and makeup artist, and is best known for his work with the Elite Starz majorette dance group of Nashville, Tenn. He has also participated in several reality shows, and has earned a social media following where he is known by his nickname, “Boo Boo Kitty”. Sellers uses the handle “coachboobookitty” on Instagram, where multiple photographs show Sellers in a variety of women’s clothing. The promotional photo for the event showed Sellers in full makeup and eyelash extensions.
Parents contacted CCN last week with concerns that Sellers is a “drag queen” and might perform in women’s clothing at the event. Supporters of Sellers say he is not a drag queen.
Rev. Dave Heller said he was relieved the contest was cancelled.
“I was glad to see that the issue was resolved and the event was cancelled,” Heller said. “We have enough to deal with in today’s world than to expose our children to this. I pray this issue will not come up again, but if it does, our pastors and churches will stand firm against it.”
Love posted on her Facebook page that she is attempting to raise money for a new venue and for traveling expenses for her dance group, Solid Hitters, to participate in other contests. Additional competitions are set for Concord, Greensboro and Fayetteville.
