Posted on 06/23/2016 3:47:42 PM PDT by drewh
Erin O’Flaherty made history when she became the first openly gay to win the Miss Missouri contest. As the pageant queen moves on to this year’s Miss America competition in September, she will stand as the contest’s first openly lesbian contestant. Reportedly, 23-year-old O’Flaherty declared her sexual orientation since she was 18 as openly gay throughout her pageant career.
After winning the Miss Missouri competition in Mexico, Missouri, Ann Jolly, chairman of the board of the Miss Missouri Scholarship Organization, reportedly confirmed that O’Flaherty is the first LGBT contestant to win the title. “I’m on cloud nine, really, just to be Miss Missouri. I don’t know that I intended to be the first, but I am. So I’m very excited about it,” she told the Associated Press on Wednesday.
Erin, who’s originally from South Carolina is a graduate from the University of Central Florida and owns Rachel’s Grove, a clothing boutique in Chesterfield. She will compete for the Miss America title in Atlantic City, New Jersey in September this year. The new Miss Missouri, whose pageant platform is suicide prevention hopes to forward the cause of the LGBT community throughout her time as the Miss America contestant, but added that it won’t be the sole focus of her stardom.
Daily Mail quoted O’Flaherty saying, “It’s certainly a big part of who I am, and I will be promoting it and raising awareness for the LGBT community. But also there will be many appearances that I do that have nothing to do with that.” Reportedly, Erin had exceptional reasons to be anxious. She was apprehensive if being openly gay would hurt her chances.
According to the Huffington Post, it was hard for O’Flaherty to come out public about her sexual leanings because she wanted to protect her relationship and had to come to terms with herself before the rest of the world got a chance to know who she was.
After winning the crown, she signed in to her official Miss Missouri Twitter account for the first time. The entry of Erin O’Flaherty’s as a lesbian in the Miss America Pageant is a defining moment in the franchise’s 95-year history. She hopes that winning Miss Missouri and aiming for the Miss America pageant sends a message to other LGBT aspirants who hope to compete for the beauty contest someday.
In 2012, Mollie Thomas tried her luck to become the first openly gay Miss California, and in 2013 Analouisa Valencia contested for the beauty pageant for South Carolina. Neither of them won the respective contest.
While this could be the first time an openly gay woman is hoping for a title in the Miss America contest, other beauty pageants around the world already count on celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, including Miss gay Venezuela and Miss Trans Israel.
Erin O’Flaherty’s winning the Miss Missouri title reportedly points out more than a conquest of beauty and talent. According to Women’s Voices for Change, “It was a high-heeled step in the right direction for diversity, because O’Flaherty is the first openly gay woman to win the state pageant.”
While beauty pageants often talk of grand plans to bring meaningful change in the world, time will tell whether Erin’s stand as a gay beauty contestant would help America break stereotypes about gay women as less feminine.
Erin hopes that she can strike a really nice balance of staying true to the values of Miss Missouri and also manage to communicate her personal views as a gay contestant in the Miss America contest.
While, officials of the Miss America Pageant are yet to comment on her win, Erin O’Flaherty’s is on her way to the 96th annual Miss America pageant September. Can she win the Miss America crown in September?
LAZ was not available for comments.
Don’t forget the alligator.
Affirmative action is like a cancer.
But you couldn’t have meant anything else.
You Establishment sellouts are a disgrace.
Is this some sort of cruel hoax?
She’ll do well in the flannel camp-shirt and combat boots competition.
Oh my God, she’s hideous! It seems pretty obvious that she concocted this gay nonsense because she knew she was too ugly to win a pageant. But as a fake lesbian, she’ll win them all
Originally from SC. Salt water exposure tends to dry out one’s skin.
On account of her being a HIM!
You’re so dense it defies description. But there’s always one like you every 100 threads or so.
Funny how I make mention of Obama and you immediately come up with “save the Republicans good, Democrats bad” for another time.
Things not going well on Team Hillary for ya tonight?
You’re the one creating this dissension.
Yeah, I’m Establishment. Boy, you are a genius.
Explain yourself then. To what were you referring by stating that ‘elections have consequences’?
Take you time now. Think hard.
This is quite like Fauxahantas declaring herself an Indian.
I thought, in todays world, race, creed, sexuality etal don’t matter.
If they don’t matter, why bring it up.
Like has been implied, had she NOT brought it up chances are she would be saying ‘You want fries with that’? and chewing gum ala Flo.
It’s not complicated.
But you’re looking for trouble, that much is obvious.
So you come up with your own wackiness.
I can’t help you with your mental state.
Seek help.
They announce just to be ‘announced’ as in “Oh, lookee me, I’m one too. Vote for me you homophobe bigots”
Looks like the honourable Rosa DeLauro D-CT US Rep.
oh no no no
watch that hand
There *had* to have been moral turpitude clauses in these pageant contracts that specifically prohibited sexual perversion
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Didn’t Vanessa Williams(?) get decrowned because of a female kiss when she was a few years younger?
Got bad news for all the freepers! All women are gay, just add a couple of shots of Tequila and a smart phone with a camera, and Voila! They are making out with their bff’s!
Just sayin’...
Looks like Rosa DeLauro.
Is she the prettiest girl in Missouri????
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