An openly gay contestant is taking part in Miss America for the first time this week.
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“Through every major milestone of our nation’s evolution, Miss America has provided a voice for women from all walks of life, and, this year, we welcome our first openly gay contestant”, he said.
30, 2016 photo shows Miss Vermont Rylee Field at a welcoming ceremony for the Miss America contestants in Atlantic City.
The award, bestowed to several other Miss America contestants in a silver and gold variation, is part of an worldwide program founded by the United Kingdom’s Prince Philip in 1956 that recognizes young people ages 14 to 24 who have made strides in physical fitness, serving their communities or cultivating skills outside of school.
Then in 2014 Patricia Yurena, a two-time victor of Miss Spain and a runner-up in the 2013 Miss Universe pageant, announced that she is a lesbian.
“It’s overwhelming the amount of love and support I’ve received not only from the LGBT community, but from so many others as well”, O’Flaherty told CNN’s Ashleigh Banfield.
It was the first of three nights of preliminary competition at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.
‘They literally missed Miss America, ‘ he said.
Miss’d America took its name from the fact that many gay pageant workers toiled behind the scenes during Miss America and never got to see what was happening onstage. But even making it as far as the Miss America stage is a historical moment in itself.
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“They literally missed Miss America”, Helfant said. I was like, “Wow, look at all those lovely women, all the class, all the glamour!”
