Bailey Anne Kennedy has made history by becoming the first Asian-American and transgender woman to be crowned Miss Maryland USA. Cambodian-American Kennedy’s win on Saturday (1 June) means she is also the first military spouse to win the coveted title. “I knew it was going to mean a lot for all the LGBTQ+ kids out there who might feel they don’t belong in a box, like me, growing up,” she told Washington DC TV station .
Kennedy, who said her platform represents “beauty without an expiration date”, that she felt a sense of “sisterhood” from the other women who competed for the title. On , Kennedy shared a post in which she revealed her desire to change the future so children feel worthy. “Not everyone has to agree with the spaces that you occupy, and it doesn’t mean that you aren’t worthy of these opportunities,” she wrote.
“The work that I will do for the remainder of my life is to make sure that children who feel like me will never have to worry about the consequences of being who they are, by simply being myself and being a positive contribution to society.” In a separate post, she wrote: “Whatever beauty means to you, I hope you can see the beauty of your potential or the beauty of your future beyond any circumstances.” Kennedy will now compete for the Miss USA crown in Los Angeles on 4 August.
As well as Miss Maryland’s win, the national beauty pageant also saw . Milliken hit back at vile, cruel trolls who mocked her appearance following t.