Missouri has crowned its first openly gay pageant contestant, 23-year-old Erin O’Flaherty.
On Saturday, O’Flaherty won the Miss Missouri competition in Mexico, Missouri, making her the pageant’s first-ever openly gay winner. The next stop for O’Flaherty is the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City on September 11.
Via ABC:
O’Flaherty said Wednesday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that she came out as gay when she was 18, competed openly and knew going into the Miss Missouri pageant that she’d be making history if she won.
Sustainable beauty
Caprea’s Essential Organic PH Cleanser is just $10 with promo code TEN. Normally $19, this foaming face wash is crafted with organic Monoi oil. It’s meant to target the production of oil secretion while protecting your skin against air pollution. Normally $19, you can save big on this richly-lathering face wash while supporting a brand that keeps the environment top of mind.
A South Carolina native who runs a clothing store, O’Flaherty says she had doubts about how she’d be received in the pageant world. She may also be the first openly gay Miss America contestant.
“Progressive is not exactly a word people might think of when you think Missouri,” O’Flaherty told the Riverfront Times. (Or, for that matter, Miss America.) “I didn’t choose to be the first; I just am. Often you hear that our politics don’t always match our people and I think that’s really true.”
O’Flaherty also told the Associated Press, “My focus of my year isn’t going to be that I’m gay. 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.”
Image screengrab via ET