Transgender contestant crowned Miss Maryland touts women being celebrated 'no matter their gender'
The pageant winner expressed hope that the victory would be a 'delicious invitation' for LGBT kids to 'be themselves'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A transgender woman crowned Miss Maryland expressed joy at the celebration of women "no matter their gender."
Transgender contestant Bailey Anne Kennedy won Miss Maryland USA this past Saturday. According to the official Miss Maryland account's post on Instagram, Kennedy’s victory marked multiple firsts, the first transgender contestant, the first Asian American contestant, the first to win the crown at age 31, the first married contestant to win and the first military officer’s spouse to win the state-level competition in 67 years.
In an interview shared in the same post, Kennedy said the victory on the first day of Pride Month "symbolizes everything" because the Miss Universe Organization "has now celebrated ‘woman’ universally, no matter their age, no matter their gender or their marital status."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A transgender contestant won multiple first-time victories in 2024's Miss Maryland competition. (YouTube screenshot)
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"As a military spouse and as a proud trans woman, I hope to display this in a positive light and as an immigrant myself - the immigrant tenacity, I hope to showcase that to people, and hopefully inspire somebody along the way," Kennedy added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}When speaking with DC News Now, Kennedy said the moment of victory was like "a whirlwind, because I knew it was bigger than me, Cory. I know that it’s gonna mean a lot for all the LGBT kids out there who might have felt different and might 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 themselves."
Kennedy told the interviewer that the next big step would be moving on to compete in the Miss USA competition.
2024's Miss Maryland spoke with DC News Now about winning the competition. (DC News Now screenshot)
On Kennedy’s website, the model explained the course of events that led to competing in the pageant.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The moment that I got married to an active duty Marine officer I knew that my life would be forever changed. I accepted the fact that his commitment to our country would always come first and any career aspirations of mine would be second," Kennedy wrote. "When I turned 30, The Miss Universe Organization lifted the traditional marital status and age restrictions. I knew it was a sign from the Universe that they are ready to crown an older, military spouse like myself."