Miss Washington USA platform for LGBTQ+ advocacy

When I was 16 years old I was “outted” as gay by a classmate to all my friends, peers, and family. The little control I had of this information—which was then so intimate—killed much of the confidence I had in myself. It is my belief now that the worst thing you can be stripped of is your identity. To not live freely in who you are is to be rid of happiness, hope and health. At just 16 years old I had given up much of the goals I had for my future because my identity had been taken and thrown to the wind by a classmate who just wanted something to gossip about.

My passions suffered the brunt of this lack of confidence. I quit training in dance—which I had been doing since the age of five. I stopped investing in myself and began living in the pressure-cooker that was my fear of anyone else figuring out about my sexual orientation. This toxic lifestyle that I had unwillingly adopted controlled me from my sophomore year of high school to my freshman year of college. I dreamed of going away to university so I could be an unrecognizable face in a crowd and get rid of my title as the small town “lesbian”. However, once I was moved onto campus I realized that my setting had little to do with getting away from my burdens, and that I am the only one that can own who I undeniably am.

Today, I am moved back home. I began dancing again last spring and trained hard enough to make up for the four years I took off. I work at a dance school in Covington teaching competition and recreational dance and have an internship at an up-and-coming ballroom studio. My biggest dream in all of this is to start my own dance company based out of Seattle, hiring only LGBTQ+ dancers and telling their stories through movement. To me, dance has been my saving grace in this whole journey, and I want to share that with others who are hurting or have been hurt. To do this I need a way to share my story to those who need to hear it. That is why I have chosen to compete in the Miss Washington USA pageant coming up in November. To get there I need to raise $900+ for entry fees—I have already put on an event, sought out sponsors and received generous donations, but I am still raising money. I want to reach out to my community for support in search of anyone who may want to donate to my cause. No one should ever feel afraid of being who they are and I want to be the voice that advocates for the fearful in my LGBTQ+ family.