Trans-identified male wins Miss Maryland USA pageant
“It’s actually about the sisterhood, empowerwoman.”
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“It’s actually about the sisterhood, empowerwoman.”
The prettiest girl in Maryland is officially a man who identifies as trans. So say the judges of the Miss Maryland USA contest, who crowned Bailey Anne Kennedy as Miss Maryland. Kennedy doesn't just credit Kennedy's beauty for Kennedy's success, but says that the win has been a "whirlwind because I knew it was bigger than me."
In a interview with DC News Now, Kennedy said "I knew that it was going to mean a lot for all the LGBT kids out there who might have felt different and might of feel like they don't belong in a box — like me growing up. So I hope that my win will be a delicious invitation for them to be themself."
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In fact, this was Kennedy's very first beauty pageant, and Kennedy beat out many female contestants to win the crown. The former Miss USA helped Kennedy train for the pageant. Kennedy had been competing in Miss Maryland USA from Williamsport, Maryland.
"I imagine going into a competition like this, competing against a lot of people who are very different from you has to be scary, there have to be a lot of fears involved into a process like that. How did you overcome it and ultimately win the title?" interviewer Cory James asked.
"Actually it's not," Kennedy said, "it's actually about the sisterhood, empowerwoman... therefore I felt very prepared going into it. I felt confident in my own skin at 31 competing, which is past old age limit which is 28. As you know Miss Universe organization lift the age restriction now so every woman of all ages can compete."
"And what do you hope this win can do now for other LGBTQ plus people," James asked.
Bailey Anne Kennedy and husband on their wedding day, Instagram.
"I just hope that it will open up some doors and open up some hearts so that people can see that there are many aspects of LGBT community out there and I hope that I can be a positive contribution to society like the USO program I am working with," Kennedy said.
Kennedy said that he knew he would win and praised the pageant organizers for allowing trans and married women to compete and "women of all backgrounds and all walks of life" in the pageant. If Kennedy could give any advice to his 10-year-old self, it would be "don't give up."
Kennedy will be competing for Miss USA in Los Angeles in August. James said he was rooting for Kennedy to win the national title.
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