"Miss Maryland USA, an Asian American trans, speaks out against hate"
By NBC News. "Newly crowned Miss Maryland USA, a Cambodian American trans woman and a military wife, is speaking out against transphobic hate comments she received after winning her title.
Bailey Anne Kennedy, 31, who immigrated from Cambodia when she was 11, said she was inspired to compete in beauty pageants after last year Miss USA lifted restrictions on contestants who are married and over the age 28. She won the state’s title last week and celebrated the win Saturday at Washington, D.C.’s Capital Pride Parade.
Some on social media criticized Kennedy and the Miss USA organization, making transphobic remarks about her inclusion and saying she didn’t deserve to win over the pageant’s cisgender women. She addressed the comments in another Instagram post.
“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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Media piece title: "Miss Maryland USA, an Asian American trans, speaks out against hate"
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By NBC News. "Newly crowned Miss Maryland USA, a Cambodian American trans woman and a military wife, is speaking out against transphobic hate comments she received after winning her title.
Bailey Anne Kennedy, 31, who immigrated from Cambodia when she was 11, said she was inspired to compete in beauty pageants after last year Miss USA lifted restrictions on contestants who are married and over the age 28. She won the state’s title last week and celebrated the win Saturday at Washington, D.C.’s Capital Pride Parade.
Some on social media criticized Kennedy and the Miss USA organization, making transphobic remarks about her inclusion and saying she didn’t deserve to win over the pageant’s cisgender women. She addressed the comments in another Instagram post.
“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.”
