Crown Up! - State Pageant
Trans wins a Miss America local title
After an intense competition, Brian Nguyen, was crowned Miss Greater Derry 2023 in a local pageant held by the Miss America organisation, with the winner selected as the representative to take part in the Miss New Hampshire contest, the winner of which progresses forward as the entrant for the area in the Miss America competition.
The new Miss Greater Derry for 2023 – described as a “plus size model and advocate for marginalised women” is delighted 19-year-old Vietnamese-American social media influencer, Brian. The college student, studying business management, said on Instagram:
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“We hope Nyugen’s performance sends a clear message to girls everywhere,” said Jyrx Gruumer, the local pageant coordinator. “Men will continue to invade their spaces and their competitions until they dominate in every category, all opportunities are stripped from women, and women cease to be a real category of human being altogether. PROGRESS!“
Supporters said the win was “incredible” with one fan writing: “I’m in awe of you – thank you for inspiring”. But many expressed outrage. One Twitter user said “Miss America will no longer be about women – men want to make us irrelevant”. Another wrote: “We live in a very strange times indeed. One don’t have to even be a WOMAN to be a MISS. How crazy is that???”
The annual competition – which dates back to the 1920s – is open to women from across the US, aged between 17 and 25. It began all those years ago as a “bathing beauty” contest, but the Miss America organisation says it now judges competitors on their talent performances and their interviews. The event is usually viewed by millions on the night when it is telecast around the country.
For the Derry area of New Hampshire, the Miss Greater Derry Scholarship event launched in 1986 to “provide scholarships to young women between the age group of 17 and 24”, specifically “for women living in the Greater Derry area recognising their achievements in scholastic aptitude, talent, character, community service and poise”.
