Defying the odds: First transgender Miss Maryland USA on changing the world

Bailey Anne’s mom was apprehensive when she told her she was going to compete for the Miss Maryland USA pageant.

Her mom thought her transgender daughter might be harassed and ridiculed, and worried about her safety.

“I told her that the world is changing,” recalled Bailey Anne, who doesn’t use her last name because her identity has unfortunately also come with threats from people who don’t agree with it.

And so she competed this year and became the state’s first trans woman titleholder. She was also Maryland’s first Asian American winner and the oldest contestant to represent the state in the Miss USA pageant.

“I’m glad I took that step,” she said. “All the people who have reached out to me, I’m able to be an influence for them as well.”

Bailey Anne says she can’t remember a time she didn’t feel like a woman. She recalls playing with makeup in elementary school.

By high school, she said she was living “my authentic self.”

“It was wonderful,” she said. “My family knew. I always knew.”

Maybe it’s that confidence and support that has prepared the barrier-breaking beauty queen, who not everyone has embraced.

She said she has been the target of constant online attacks from trolls, and death threats to her and to her family and friends.

“There have been times that I wanted to clap back so bad,” she said. “People don’t know me. If they would give me a chance, we would be in a better place, and we wouldn’t have so many trolls and mean comments. We are all human and learning to learn and adapt. I can understand that.”

Bailey Anne calls becoming Miss Maryland a full circle moment in that it marked 20 years since she immigrated to the United States at age 11. Members of the Asian community in Silver Spring where her family first settled were some of her biggest supporters.

“The Asian community — especially the Cambodian community — tends to stick together. That’s part of our culture,” she said.

She has nine months left in her reign, and plans to use it to continue opening people’s minds.

That means being the grand marshal of a parade in Cottage City, a small town in Prince George’s County; reaching out to fashion designers this month for modeling and collaboration opportunities during New York Fashion Week; and even lending her voice to talk about youth mental illness at The Baltimore Banner’s annual iMPACT Maryland big ideas event next month.

She knows that increasing her visibility in society will help make visibility and existence easier for the next generation — whether that be LGBTQIA+ people, women of color or housewives.

“There has been a lot of pushback and negativity in the media. Although I am very strong minded — I am still human. I am not doing this just for myself.”

Here are some other interesting facts Bailey Anne shared about herself:

Family and friends are off-limits

Bailey Anne declined to go into much detail about life with her husband, an active duty officer of the U.S. Marines, but said he is supportive.

“He didn’t sign up for this. I try and be very respectful of his personal life — and professional,” she said. She added the military community has also been more supportive than people give them credit for.

The two have been together since 2017 and had a courthouse wedding during the pandemic.

Who does she most admire?

Bailey Anne calls Marsha P. Johnson, the late trans woman and LGBTQ rights activist, a “she-roe.”

“A lack of acceptance should not prevent a person from being themselves. It’s important to recognize the past, present and future. I am thanking the past because without the past I would not be here. I am taking up space in the most positive way,” she said.

She wants to inspire other housewives

Anne does not want the role of a wife to be reduced to simply supporting their spouse. She wants wives to pursue their own hopes and dreams — regardless of age, which is why she ran for Miss Maryland when she did.

She wants to emulate the same strength and grace that Michelle Obama did as first lady and in life in general.

“I hope my win can encourage them to never give up on themselves. Go out there and finish school. Or go out there and find their next calling. … You don’t have to give up on your childhood dream, and pursue any dream you have.”

On Beyoncé

“My favorite singer is Queen Bey. That’s not even a question. There have been so many women in American music who have done so much for minority women and minorities,” she said.

Her standard morning routine

After waking up and drinking a cup of coffee, she makes a breakfast of a Cambodian-style omelet like the one her mother makes — filled with green onions, peppers and other spices.

“It’s very yummy,” she said. “I eat that with rice. I’m Asian. I love rice.”

She loves Popeyes

“I’m the queen of Popeyes. I told my husband, whatever happened at the Miss USA pageant, the first thing I wanted to eat is Popeyes. So after Miss USA, he [had] Popeyes DoorDashed to my hotel. You have to have it with mambo sauce, and sweet heat sauce.”

She loves her pups

“My goldendoodle’s name is Captain Jack Sparrow. We call him Jack. He looks like a Jack. My labradoodle’s name is Elizabeth Swann. Her nickname is ‘Lizzy monster’ because she’s a brat in the most cutest way.”

Carole Gist is her favorite pageant winner

She wants to give flowers to Gist, the first Black woman to be crowned Miss USA in 1990 and Kenya Moore, who was crowned Miss USA in 1993.

“I wouldn’t have this stage without them,” she said.

Her reading recommendations

Deborah Miller, the state director and producer for Miss USA and Miss Teen USA in Maryland, encouraged her to read “The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance — What Women Should Know” by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman. The book helped give her confidence and deal with not winning the Miss USA title.

“I also love ‘A Father’s Dream: My Family’s Journey in Music’ by Abraham Quintanilla. It speaks to how much he has sacrificed to get his daughter to where she is. I hope I can do the same with the next generation — be a good representation. I hope I have done a beautiful job for our community.”