Before Miss Rhode Island Olivia Culpo was crowned Miss USA last week, she answered a question about transgender contestants in the pageant, openly embracing their inclusion. But Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin was really put off by the realization, resigning in protest that the competition had opened to transgender women. In an email to the Miss Universe Organization she explained just how she really felt about trans people:
[I refuse to be] part of a pageant system that has so far and so completely removed itself from its foundational principles as to allow and support natural born males to compete in it. This goes against ever moral fiber of my being. I believe in integrity, high moral character, and fair play, none of which are part of this system any longer.
Were these comments not offensive enough, she then posted false statements about her resignation on Facebook, claiming that the real reason she quit was because she believed the pageant was rigged. Donald Trump responded that he believes “her primary issue is that she lost and she’s angry about losing. And frankly, in my opinion, I saw her barely a second and she didn’t deserve to be in the top 15.”
The Miss Universe contest opened to trans candidates earlier this year after Jenna Talackova sought to compete for Miss Canada. She ultimately finished in the Top 12 and was named Miss Congeniality.