A man who thinks he is a woman was crowned Miss Maryland USA, according to multiple outlets.
DC News Now reported that Bailey Anne, the newly crowned Miss Maryland USA, is the first so-called “trans woman” to win the title. In addition, the outlet claimed that Bailey Anne is the first military officer’s “wife” to represent the state.
Anne told reporters that when “she” won, it was a “whirlwind because I knew it was bigger than me. I knew that it was going to mean a lot for all the LGBTQ kids out there who might feel like they don’t belong in a box – like me growing up.”
“I felt confident in my own skin at 31, which is past the old age limit, which is 28 — as you know Miss Universe Organization lift the restriction now — so every woman of all ages can compete,” Anne continued, adding that he “hopes that it will open up some doors, open up some hearts for people to see that there are many aspects of LGBT community out there and I hope I can be a positive contribution to society in making a difference like the USO program like I’m working with.”
MAN crowed Miss Maryland USA.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) June 6, 2024
Transgender male Bailey Anne has beaten dozens of women to win the prestigious women’s pageant title.
Upon winning the title Anne declared:
“Not everyone has to agree with the spaces that you occupy, and it doesn’t mean that you aren’t worthy… pic.twitter.com/lu25ySJL4S
Transgender man crowned ‘Miss Maryland’ thanks the pageant for changing their rules to allow biological men to participate.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) June 7, 2024
“Miss Universe Organization (MUO) has now celebrated women universally no matter their age, no matter their gender, no matter their marital status.” pic.twitter.com/B1zpPwHb7G
Townhall has covered how the issue of so-called “trans women” competing in beauty pageants has escalated in recent years.
Last year, Townhall reported how a biological male who identifies as a “transgender woman” was crowned Miss Portugal and went on to compete in the Miss Universe pageant. The man, Marina Machete, is a 28-year-old flight attendant.
Machete wasn’t the only man in the competition. Before that, a biological male, Rikkie Valerie Kolle, 22, who identifies as a transgender woman won the Miss Netherlands pageant, which Townhall covered. Kolle went on to compete in Miss Universe.
Before both of these incidents, a biological male in New Hampshire won a local Miss America pageant.
In response to all this, the Miss Italy competition's official patron, Patrizia Mirigliani, announced that it would not allow male-bodied "trans women" to compete. Predictably, backlash ensued.
This month, in a leaked video obtained by Vox, Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, part owner of the Miss Universe organization, said that it would be good for the organization’s image to allow “nontraditional” backgrounds to compete in Miss Universe. This includes transgenders. These contestants, however, “cannot win,” Jakrajutatip added, which Townhall covered.