First trans Miss Maryland USA is from Montgomery County

Bailey Anne Kennedy hopes to inspire LGBTQ+ youth

June 13, 2024 3:31 p.m.

Bailey Anne Kennedy says she did not expect to make history when she entered her first-ever beauty pageant–seeking the crown of Miss Maryland USA. But on June 1 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel, the Montgomery County resident became the first transgender winner of the title in the pageant’s history.

“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,” Kennedy told DC News Now.

She told the television news station she hopes her win will inspire LGBTQ+ children to be themselves.

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Kennedy, 31, is also the first Asian American winner of the pageant. She will compete for the title of Miss USA in Los Angeles on Aug. 4. The winner of that pageant goes on to compete for the title of Miss Universe.

According to her Instagram page, Kennedy’s pageant platform is “#BeautyWithoutAnExpirationDate.” If Kennedy wins the Miss USA pageant, she would be the oldest titleholder in the pageant’s history. The pageant previously had an age limit barring women older than 28 from competing, as well as a ban on married women and mothers. Trans women were allowed to compete starting in 2012.

Kennedy is also a military wife and is a representative for the United Service Organizations (USO). She leads an online support group for wives of U.S. Marine Corps officers. As one of her first public events as Miss Maryland USA, Kennedy marched in the Capital Pride parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, according to her Instagram posts.

Tramour Wilson, senior director of advocacy and community engagement for Pride Center Maryland, told The Baltimore Banner that he hopes Kennedy’s win will encourage trans people to compete in pageants.

“Kennedy’s victory marks a transformative moment in how transgender individuals are perceived across the nation,” Wilson told the Banner. 

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However, Kennedy has received backlash online for her gender identity after posts about her win went viral, Forbes reported.

In an Instagram post, Kennedy spoke out against transphobic remarks she’d received.

“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.”

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