A national beauty pageant got its first out lesbian winner
By Jack Guy, CNN
London (CNN) — Grace Richardson, a 20-year-old musical theater student, has become the first-ever out lesbian winner of the Miss England beauty pageant.
On Thursday, Richardson, who was crowned at a ceremony in Wolverhampton, England, on November 21, told CNN that it feels “incredibly empowering” to have been named Miss England.
“It’s proved to me that with resilience and determination you really can achieve your dreams,” she said.
“Knowing that now I have the opportunity to use this platform to make a difference in our world and inspire younger generations, makes me feel stronger than ever,” Richardson added.
The new Miss England revealed that she had considered not mentioning her sexuality during the competition, but she decided to bring it up during the interview that each participant does with the judging panel.
“I was asked about overcoming challenges, the first thing that crossed my mind was my coming out story,” said Richardson.
“It’s a big part of my past and in that moment I wanted to share with them my development as a person. It’s these stories that make each of us unique so I don’t see any point in hiding them away,” she added.
Richardson hopes that her openness about her sexuality “will inspire more women to use their voice to create positive impact, without living in fear.”
“Sexuality actually has no direct relevance to my role as Miss England, but for me to speak so openly about it means that the idea of a gay woman being in a role like mine will become much more normalised,” she said.
“I knew that sharing my story publicly would share the message that I am proud of myself and that’s something that was important to me even before embarking on my Miss England journey.”
Richardson will now compete in the Miss World beauty pageant next year.
The-CNN-Wire
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