Miss Missouri becomes the first openly gay contestant in Miss America beauty pageant
- Erin O'Flaherty, 23, was crowned Miss Missouri. She came out as gay at 18
- She's now on track to compete to become Miss America in September
- That makes her Miss America's first openly gay candidate
- But she's making suicide awareness, not sexuality, her platform
Beauty pageant contestants often talk about how they want to make big changes in the world - but the newly crowned Miss Missouri is actually making it happen.
Erin O'Flaherty, 23, is the first openly gay Miss Missouri - which also makes her the first openly lesbian Miss America candidate in the pageant's 95-year history.
O'Flaherty, who was crowned Saturday, said: 'I'm on cloud nine really just to be Miss Missouri. I don't know that I intended to be the first (gay winner), but I am. So I'm very excited about it.'
Miss Missouri: On Saturday Erin O'Flaherty was crowned Miss MIssouri - becoming the first-ever openly gay winner - and the first such contender for the crown of Miss America
Winner: O'Flaherty is pictured being crowned by 2015's Miss Missouri, McKensie Garber (back), and Miss Missouri's Outstanding Teen 2016, Christina Stratton (left)
Competitors: O'Flaherty (center) is joined by runners-up (l-r) Brittany Sears (third runner-up), Audrain Jennifer Davis (first runner-up), Katie Moeller (second runner-up) and Mikaela Carson (fourth runner-up)
Confirmed: The Miss America Organization has confirmed that O'Flaherty is the first openly gay Miss America contestant in the pageant's history, although others have come out after entering
O'Flaherty, who is originally from South Carolina, came out as gay when she was 18, but said she isn't making her sexuality the center of her campaign for Miss America when she attends the competition in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 11.
'My focus of my year isn't going to be that I'm gay,' said O'Flaherty, who owns a clothing store in suburban St. Louis.
'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.
'And so I'm hoping that I can strike a really nice balance of staying true to the values of Miss Missouri and also being able to exercise my personal views.'
Instead, she said, she will make suicide prevention her platform of interest for the competition.
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A spokesperson for the Miss America Organization confirmed that 'the newly crowned Miss Missouri, Erin O’Flaherty, is the first openly LGBTQ contestant to compete in the Miss America Competition.
'While past contestants have later identified as LGBTQ, we would like to honor and respect the privacy of our contestants’ personal lives. As always the Miss America Organization supports all women who are interested in joining the legendary competition.'
If she wins, O'Flaherty will receive a $50,000 scholarship.
On Wednesday O'Flaherty signed in for the first time to the official Miss Missouri Twitter account.
'Hey there! Erin here, officially signing in as Miss MO 2016. So excited to serve this amazing state,' she enthused, also posting a photograph of her coronation.
Although O'Flaherty is the first openly lesbian woman to make it into the running for Miss America, she's not the first to try.
Record breaker: O'Flaherty (pictured left, and also right with sister Justin) said she's 'on cloud nine' to be declared the winner in her state
Contender: O'Flaherty (pictured with Garber) believes she's the first openly gay Miss America contender, but says that she's not basing her campaign on her sexuality. Instead, she's promoting suicide awareness
Family: O'Flaherty (pictured left, and also right with sister Justin) has received great support from her family
In 2012, Mollie Thomas attempted to become the first openly gay Miss California, and in 2013 Analouisa Valencia tried to do the same for South Carolina; her platform was promoting the Special Olympics.
Neither of them won their respective competition.
And in August 2014 Patricia Yurena Rodríguez, who won the Miss Spain crown in 2008 and 2013, and came first runner-up in Miss Universe 2013, posted a photograph on Instagram of her in bed with her girlfriend, DJ Vanesa Cortes.
The photo, captioned 'Romeo and Juliet', received 10,700 likes.
The Miss America Organization was not available for comment.
Miss Universe: In 2013 Analouisa Valencia (pictured), two-time Miss Spain winner, ran - or strutted - for the Miss Universe Pageant in Moscow, where she came first runner-up. In 2014 she came out as gay
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3656052/Miss-Missouri-openly-gay-contestant-Miss-America-beauty-pageant.html#ixzz4D4wX0f9j
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