Erin O’Flaherty, 23, represents the Midwestern state of Missouri, where she was crowned the first openly gay Miss Missouri in June.
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The competition to select the new Miss America is set to start in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Tuesday night.
Betty Cantrell glowed with praise for her specially designed Miss America shoes – size 9 1/2, with custom bejeweled red, silver and blue detail, and “Miss America” spelled out in the pageant’s own font.
“Behind the scenes, we’ve been well-represented, but I’m the first openly gay title holder, so I’m very excited”, she told The Associated Press. “I’m ready to go to Miss America, and I’m really happy to have made history”, O’Flaherty said on “Entertainment Tonight.”
“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.
“They literally missed Miss America”, Helfant said. Her regal headpiece shimmered as photographers crushed around her for a photo with the shoes, which she promised to auction off for charity – if she can part with the peep-toe pumps – after she wears them for the Show Us Your Shoes Parade on September 10.
The Miss America pageant has been around for close to a century, but this year’s event is going to be a first for the organization. “We sort of embarrassed them into wearing these big elaborate shoes, which are the highlight of the parade now”. “I was like, ‘Wow, look at all those lovely women, all the class, all the glamor!’ It’s very alluring”.
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