Latest / Miss Understood with Rachel Uchitel / ASIAN-AMERICAN, MARRIED TRANS WOMAN WINS MISS MARYLAND USA!

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ASIAN-AMERICAN, MARRIED TRANS WOMAN WINS MISS MARYLAND USA! · Miss Understood with Rachel Uchitel

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  Speaker 2: Welcome back to Misunderstood. I'm your host, Rachel. You could tell.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: So Bailey Ann Kennedy won Miss Maryland USA on her
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: very first try last week. But that is not why
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: her win is historic. And it's not the reason she's
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: been all over the paper for the last week. She
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: is the first Asian-American who is married to a military
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: officer and happens to be a trans woman. And she
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: has won the title. She is headed to Miss USA
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: in August in LA, and she was here to sit
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: down with me and talk about all the things that
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: we want to know, including the stigma that's been following
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: her since this news broke, the misunderstandings about what it's
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: like to be her, and also to talk about the
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: pageant in general. So we're going to get right into
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: this episode. I feel like this is a topic that
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: a lot of people don't understand.
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: A lot of.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: People have opinions on.
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: And that's why you should listen to it. So please
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: take a second.
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: After you're done listening, please make sure you comment. You
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: can even DM us if you want to, but I
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: really want to know your thoughts on it. But I
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: was very honored and happy that Bailey Ann Kennedy decided
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: to sit down with us on Misunderstood. Bailey, thank you
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: so much for joining me. I got to tell you,
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: I have chills meeting you. I think that you are
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: so awesome and I'm so happy that you're here.
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: Oh my God. Thank you, Rachel. I'm such a fan.
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: Thank you for having me. Oh, okay.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: So I want to get started. First of all, congratulations
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: are in order. You are like one of the most
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: talked about people this week. How do you feel about that?
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: What is like been the goods, the backlash, like what's
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: going on in your life right now?
• 2:59
  Speaker 4: Oh, my gosh. It's been such a whirlwind. And thank
• 3:02
  Speaker 4: you guys so much for congratulating me and bringing the
• 3:06
  Speaker 4: positive vibe my way. And I always thought that, you know,
• 3:09
  Speaker 4: when anything comes in life, there's the good, there's the bad.
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: But I'm just.
• 3:13
  Speaker 4: Focusing on the good right now and pulling support from
• 3:16
  Speaker 4: everybody in the community. Right.
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: Okay, so you have made history.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: You have broken almost every barrier that existed in the
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: state's pageant history. And you did it in your first try,
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: which is pretty amazing. So you are 31 years old.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: They lifted a ban where you could only be as
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: old as 28, correct?
• 3:34
  Speaker 4: Yes, ma'am.
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: Okay, you are married. They lifted that ban.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: As well to a military officer, you're Asian American and
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: you are a trans woman.
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  Speaker 2: So, I mean, I just like, I have so many questions.
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: I have so many things to get into.
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: But like, I just want to know in general, in
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: your opinion in the last week, have you felt understood
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: by everyone or do you feel like you have an
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: uphill battle until August when we get to Miss USA
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: in trying to sort of prove who you are and
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: why you deserve this, so to speak?
• 4:06
  Speaker 4: Yeah, so I feel like everything's in life. You have
• 4:09
  Speaker 4: to prove to people wrong and you have to show
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  Speaker 4: people that through hard work and dedication that you can
• 4:14
  Speaker 4: become this good representation for everybody, not just the trans community,
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  Speaker 4: because I believe that I'm so much more than that.
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  Speaker 4: Not to say that I'm You know, not a trans
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  Speaker 4: woman or anything like that, but no disrespect. But I
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  Speaker 4: believe that I am also a military spouse, a stay-at-home
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  Speaker 4: wife who makes the most out of her life and
• 4:34
  Speaker 4: sees this opportunity to make a name for herself and,
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  Speaker 4: you know, to live my American dream that I came
• 4:40
  Speaker 4: to America for. And there's so much more to me
• 4:44
  Speaker 4: than just this topic. And I just hope that throughout
• 4:47
  Speaker 4: this reign that I get the opportunity to show people that.
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: I absolutely love that you're saying that because you are right.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: I think you have been pigeonholed as one of those
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: four topics that I just mentioned. So if it's okay
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: with you, can we start back at the beginning for
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: a second?
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  Speaker 2: You were born in Cambodia, correct?
• 5:02
  Speaker 4: Yes, ma'am.
• 5:03
  Speaker 3: I was born in Cambodia.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: And tell me a little bit about your family. Like what,
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: do you have a big family, small family? Why'd you
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: come to America? Like, tell us all about you.
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: So I was born in Cambodia.
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  Speaker 4: I have a big family, not the immediate family because
• 5:16
  Speaker 4: I only have my brother and my two half-brothers and sisters.
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  Speaker 4: But I immigrated to America at the age of 11.
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  Speaker 4: We used to stay in Thailand a little bit just
• 5:26
  Speaker 4: to get the visa to come to America because back
• 5:28
  Speaker 4: then the U.S.
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: Embassy wasn't available for us in Cambodia.
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: Oh, wow.
• 5:33
  Speaker 4: Okay.
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: And what made you guys all move to America? And
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: did you go to Maryland? Is that your first stop?
• 5:39
  Speaker 5: Yes, ma'am.
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  Speaker 4: I've been here since I was 11 years old until
• 5:44
  Speaker 4: I got married and then I moved back and then Yeah,
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  Speaker 4: I've been staying in Maryland for, I think, 20 years
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  Speaker 4: now in May.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, wow.
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: But did your parents come here for a specific job?
• 5:56
  Speaker 4: No, my grandfather got all of us here, the whole
• 6:00
  Speaker 4: family here. And my mom wanted to escape communism and
• 6:05
  Speaker 4: what's going on in the war back in the days.
• 6:08
  Speaker 4: But unfortunately, that didn't happen. So she ended up having
• 6:11
  Speaker 4: to stay a little bit longer than she wanted to.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: Oh, wow. Wow.
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: So is your mom and dad, and you said you
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: had one full brother, right? Are they all with you
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  Speaker 1: in Maryland now?
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: Yeah, they're all in Maryland by a grace of God.
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: You know, thankfully. Yeah.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: And how has your relationship with them been growing up?
• 6:33
  Speaker 4: Oh, growing up, we always been very tight-knit family and
• 6:36
  Speaker 4: we know anything about each other, which is fine. You know,
• 6:39
  Speaker 4: I think that I'm so family oriented. Now it's a
• 6:43
  Speaker 4: little bit better. And, you know, they understand what I'm
• 6:45
  Speaker 4: trying to do, what I'm trying to accomplish. And they
• 6:48
  Speaker 4: see the end goal. They see the light at the
• 6:50
  Speaker 4: end of the tunnel. And that helps them a lot
• 6:51
  Speaker 4: because they grew up very conservative and very religious. So
• 6:55
  Speaker 4: it helps open up their heart and their mind a lot.
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: Interesting. OK, so they're supportive of you right now on
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: your journey.
• 7:02
  Speaker 3: Yes, they are.
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: Do you mind if we talk for one second about
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: your your trans journey? And I apologize if I'm not
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: saying the right words, but I just want to know
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: how easy that was.
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: For you, how hard that was for you.
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  Speaker 1: When did that, you know, come to pass in your
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: mind that this is what I have to do to
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  Speaker 1: be happy?
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: Can you just explain a little bit about that? Because
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: I really don't think.
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: And I know you don't want to be identified necessarily
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: just as that, but I think a lot of people
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: don't know that. And when you do research on you,
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: a lot of that has been glossed over. So I'm
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: really just curious about that part of your history.
• 7:36
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 4: So I know that most people would title me as
• 7:39
  Speaker 4: that and just not only, but there's so much more
• 7:42
  Speaker 4: to me. I'm an immigrant, I'm Asian American, I'm a spouse.
• 7:46
  Speaker 4: I mean, the list goes on and on, but I
• 7:50
  Speaker 4: would say that I started feeling, I knew that I
• 7:53
  Speaker 4: was different when I was young. As soon as I
• 7:55
  Speaker 4: could remember, I knew that there was something wrong with
• 7:58
  Speaker 4: that internally. I'm a foreign and I just pray. I
• 8:01
  Speaker 4: remember back then I would pray to God every single
• 8:03
  Speaker 4: day that wherever, whichever church my mom would take me to,
• 8:07
  Speaker 4: I would pray that one day I hope to just
• 8:10
  Speaker 4: live in the way that I am on the inside
• 8:12
  Speaker 4: would reflect on the outside.
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  Speaker 3: And I feel like now I'm living one of my prayers,
• 8:18
  Speaker 3: you know?
• 8:18
  Speaker 4: Wow.
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: Makes it any different right.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: So were you in your teens 20s when you finally
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: transitioned i.
• 8:28
  Speaker 4: Uh socially transitioned in school and then in high school
• 8:32
  Speaker 4: i mean you know when i was at the legal
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  Speaker 4: age i was able to pick medical.
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• 8:59
  Speaker 1: And can I just ask how your peers reacted when
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: you were in high school then? Was that something that
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: was accepted? Were your friends accepting? Was it hard for
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: your family? How did you feel internally about that whole thing?
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: I mean, it sounds like that was something that made
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: you personally happy, but how did it affect the surrounding people?
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: Well, you know, I can't speak for everyone, but so
• 9:22
  Speaker 4: far I've seen nothing but positive out of the voice
• 9:26
  Speaker 4: of my family members.
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: And those that matter to me, they don't care. They
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: just need me, really.
• 9:32
  Speaker 4: And those who don't really support that, you know, I
• 9:35
  Speaker 4: hope to open up their mind and their heart by
• 9:37
  Speaker 4: showing them who I am. And by showing them that
• 9:40
  Speaker 4: I'm just like everybody else, their sister, their daughter, their cousins.
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: Just like anybody else.
• 9:45
  Speaker 4: I just want to live my American dream.
• 9:47
  Speaker 3: And that's that.
• 9:48
  Speaker 4: Right.
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: I love that.
• 9:49
  Speaker 3: Okay.
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: So how did you meet your husband?
• 9:51
  Speaker 3: Oh my God.
• 9:52
  Speaker 4: Like any other teenagers back in the day? I say
• 9:55
  Speaker 4: back in the day, like I'm so old, but I'm
• 9:57
  Speaker 4: only 31.
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: I met him.
• 10:00
  Speaker 4: When I was around 24, 25.
• 10:04
  Speaker 3: He hit me up on Instagram. Is that how you
• 10:07
  Speaker 3: say it nowadays? Yeah. And he slid my DM. And
• 10:13
  Speaker 3: the rest is history.
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: Wow. And was he already in the military? Yes, ma'am.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: And what does he do and where is he based
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: or where was he based at the time?
• 10:22
  Speaker 4: He was a tank commander. And now he, because the
• 10:29
  Speaker 4: Marine Corps got rid of the tank company and now
• 10:33
  Speaker 4: he's a pilot, training to be a pilot.
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: Wow. Amazing. And you guys have been based in Maryland
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: the whole time?
• 10:41
  Speaker 4: No, we've been all over the place. We've been in Florida.
• 10:44
  Speaker 4: We've been in Georgia. We've been in Virginia. But now
• 10:49
  Speaker 4: I'm back in there.
• 10:50
  Speaker 3: Got it.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: Okay, so again, up until this point where people kind
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: of now know you, what was it like to be
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: a military wife?
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: Were you working or were you a homemaker? What were
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: you doing?
• 11:01
  Speaker 4: You know, it's funny that you ask me that because
• 11:03
  Speaker 4: a lot of people have a misconception about military process.
• 11:06
  Speaker 4: And if you're a homemaker, they think that you don't
• 11:08
  Speaker 4: do it all day besides running around in your yoga pants,
• 11:11
  Speaker 4: getting massages. Ultimately, I just hope that I can show
• 11:15
  Speaker 4: to people that You know, my husband has been working
• 11:18
  Speaker 4: really hard to obtain his career leading up to this point.
• 11:22
  Speaker 4: And he has two certifications now, like being a tank
• 11:25
  Speaker 4: commander and being a pilot is not easy. And I
• 11:28
  Speaker 4: help him get through where he is right now. And
• 11:30
  Speaker 4: he has to do his graduate study as well. So
• 11:34
  Speaker 4: all of that leading up to it, I was there
• 11:36
  Speaker 4: to help him supplementing his career. And if that shows anything,
• 11:40
  Speaker 4: I hope that I can show you that military spouses
• 11:43
  Speaker 4: are the backbone of it. the country and also the
• 11:47
  Speaker 4: military community as a whole.
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: So up until that point, I'm curious, were you, you know,
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: is the word out?
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: Like, did people know that you were a trans woman
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: or has this brought that to the forefront in your community?
• 12:03
  Speaker 4: Well, I've never really felt the need to tell people newly. Like, no,
• 12:09
  Speaker 4: because I tell them because I choose to actively tell them.
• 12:12
  Speaker 4: I don't just go out to the front like up
• 12:14
  Speaker 4: the line and just tell everybody in like my business
• 12:17
  Speaker 4: because it's so personal, you know? Right.
• 12:19
  Speaker 3: Of course.
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  Speaker 1: thank you. And but do you feel in the military?
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: I mean, I know nothing about the military in that community.
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: Is it something that is frowned upon? Is it something
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: that people don't care about? Or have you found support
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: in that community? Again, I'm talking about before you started
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: doing pageant.
• 14:42
  Speaker 4: So surprisingly, the military community have been nothing but supportive.
• 14:46
  Speaker 4: And prior to even coming to pageant, like competing for
• 14:50
  Speaker 4: my first pageant ever in the Samaritan.
• 14:52
  Speaker 3: USA, I mean, people have been nothing but supportive.
• 14:55
  Speaker 4: Many spouses sisterhood uh the officer spouse club like have
• 15:00
  Speaker 4: reached out to me and say how proud they are
• 15:02
  Speaker 4: of me for doing what I did and how courageous
• 15:04
  Speaker 4: that was because they knew all along they just didn't
• 15:07
  Speaker 4: want to be like you know upsetting to me so
• 15:11
  Speaker 4: I really appreciate what they have done for me by
• 15:13
  Speaker 4: creating that space for me to just be myself and
• 15:16
  Speaker 4: not having to explain.
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: Oh good for you um okay so now talk to
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: me about how you got into pageantry what made you
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: want to get involved Yeah.
• 15:25
  Speaker 4: So like you mentioned earlier, former President Trump has made
• 15:29
  Speaker 4: a huge impact on the MEO organization. And I knew
• 15:34
  Speaker 4: the organization through that era, which is what we call
• 15:37
  Speaker 4: the Trump era.
• 15:39
  Speaker 3: And I fell in love with it. I fell in
• 15:41
  Speaker 3: love with it.
• 15:42
  Speaker 4: Title holders who have won the crown, the same crown
• 15:46
  Speaker 4: that I'm wearing, that is so historic. And they have
• 15:49
  Speaker 4: shown me what the title can do for a young,
• 15:52
  Speaker 4: impressionable woman, right? So I knew that I wanted to compete,
• 15:55
  Speaker 4: but unfortunately, I was not qualified to compete back then.
• 15:59
  Speaker 4: But I know that since 2012, that they have lifted
• 16:02
  Speaker 4: the restriction for allowing all trans women to be.
• 16:05
  Speaker 3: Able to compete.
• 16:07
  Speaker 4: And as of last year, or 2023, I believe, correct
• 16:11
  Speaker 4: me if I'm wrong, They allow a mature, wiser woman,
• 16:17
  Speaker 4: as I would like to say it, married woman and
• 16:20
  Speaker 4: mothers to be able to compete and pursue their dream
• 16:23
  Speaker 4: and celebrating them universally. So I'm so grateful to be
• 16:28
  Speaker 4: in a time and place like this. What a great
• 16:30
  Speaker 4: time to.
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: Be alive, right?
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: Oh, I love that. What is the age limit now?
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: I know they raised it from itching.
• 16:37
  Speaker 5: Burning, soreness. When you know it's thrush, you want it gone.
• 16:42
  Speaker 5: Treat the cause, not just the symptoms, with Caniston Combi.
• 16:45
  Speaker 5: Ireland's number one thrush treatment brand. Caniston Combi Pestry and
• 16:49
  Speaker 5: Cream contain cotrimazole.
• 16:50
  Speaker 6: Always read the label. Number one based on volume sales data.
• 16:53
  Speaker 6: To verify, contact info.ireland at bayer.com.
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: 28. Is there an age limit or just can anyone
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: do it now?
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: Anybody can do it.
• 17:01
  Speaker 4: As long as you're medically and legally recognized as a female,
• 17:04
  Speaker 4: we can compete to become this young in the U.S.
• 17:07
  Speaker 4: because the title itself now has evolved into so much
• 17:11
  Speaker 4: more than just a miss. You're not just a young, impressionable,
• 17:15
  Speaker 4: born-again woman that represents your state. You're now a multi-faceted
• 17:20
  Speaker 4: woman who is a mom, who is a spouse, who
• 17:23
  Speaker 4: is a, you know, a philanthropist who does amazing work
• 17:27
  Speaker 4: in your community in the U.S.
• 17:28
  Speaker 3: That I'm working with.
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: So it's interesting what you just said, because what would
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: you say to the skeptics that say trans women are
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: not women? And this is a competition for people that were,
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: you know, assigned female at birth.
• 17:43
  Speaker 2: What would your answer be to that?
• 17:46
  Speaker 4: Well, I respect their opinion because I think that in America,
• 17:49
  Speaker 4: they are entitled to their own opinion. But personally, I
• 17:53
  Speaker 4: think that trans women are, well, we went from point
• 17:56
  Speaker 4: A to point B for a reason. So I don't
• 17:59
  Speaker 4: want to be stuck in this between where I'm being
• 18:01
  Speaker 4: labeled as a trans woman.
• 18:03
  Speaker 3: I am a woman.
• 18:04
  Speaker 4: I live my life and contributing to society as a woman.
• 18:08
  Speaker 4: And hopefully throughout my reign, I can show people that.
• 18:11
  Speaker 4: I can show how normal that I can be. What
• 18:14
  Speaker 4: did you do to prepare for the pageant? To prepare
• 18:19
  Speaker 4: for the pageant, I, you know, I watched, like I
• 18:22
  Speaker 4: mentioned earlier, since the former President Trump era, where winners
• 18:26
  Speaker 4: have done so amazing for their career. I mean, I
• 18:29
  Speaker 4: have watched that and studied that like for 31 years now.
• 18:33
  Speaker 4: And to be able to give them this chance whenever
• 18:35
  Speaker 4: I'm ready to compete. It wasn't, just so we can
• 18:40
  Speaker 4: clear this up, the restriction was not lifted because of me,
• 18:43
  Speaker 4: by the way. It was lifted and then I decided
• 18:46
  Speaker 4: to compete, but like to be able to be here
• 18:49
  Speaker 4: at this very moment and to prepare for it, I
• 18:53
  Speaker 4: reached out to my former Miss USA, Shelly. She helped
• 18:58
  Speaker 4: me throughout this journey thus far. Now that I have
• 19:01
  Speaker 4: my own team with Miss Maryland USA at Prepare to Win,
• 19:05
  Speaker 4: which I'm so grateful for them. They have helped me
• 19:07
  Speaker 4: with enemy skill, with the way that I talk. And
• 19:10
  Speaker 4: hopefully you're not judging me right now because I know
• 19:13
  Speaker 4: that you're a journalist.
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: No, you're amazing. You're doing such a good job.
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: Wait, so I think people are curious about the rules
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: and the difference. And I brought this up earlier when
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: we were not on camera. But I want you to
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: to bring up the difference of what Miss Maryland versus
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: Miss Maryland America.
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: Am I getting it wrong? Explain to people the difference
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: between the USA and the America contest.
• 19:37
  Speaker 4: Yeah, so it's very common that people are not very
• 19:40
  Speaker 4: much in the know about it because there is a
• 19:43
  Speaker 4: system called Miss Universe Organization, which is my organization. They
• 19:48
  Speaker 4: own Miss USA. and they also own Miss Maryland USA.
• 19:52
  Speaker 4: So it's like you go up and up like a
• 19:54
  Speaker 4: ladder almost. And then there's Miss America, which is also
• 19:58
  Speaker 4: like a completely different organization, which is an organization that
• 20:02
  Speaker 4: has like a talent portion in their competition where they sing,
• 20:06
  Speaker 4: they dance, stuff like that. And they're very much different,
• 20:10
  Speaker 4: but we're all a part of the big sisterhood. And
• 20:13
  Speaker 4: they don't have, they can't compete in the Miss USA.
• 20:16
  Speaker 3: No, they cannot. Okay. Okay.
• 20:18
  Speaker 2: So you don't have a talent portion.
• 20:21
  Speaker 3: Well, I have multiple talents.
• 20:23
  Speaker 4: No, no.
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: I mean, in the, I mean, in the pageant.
• 20:26
  Speaker 4: No, ma'am. We have swimsuits, we have private interview, and
• 20:29
  Speaker 4: we have evening gowns.
• 20:31
  Speaker 2: Evening gowns.
• 20:32
  Speaker 3: Okay.
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: Do they also have the portion where Mario Lopez or
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: whoever it is comes up while you're on the stage
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: and they ask you a question and usually you answer
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: about world peace?
• 20:44
  Speaker 3: You don't want to talk about it? Yes, I know
• 20:46
  Speaker 3: that's a cliche, but no.
• 20:48
  Speaker 4: There is a top five question and once you get
• 20:51
  Speaker 4: to Miss USA or Miss Universe, there's a top three
• 20:54
  Speaker 4: even portion.
• 20:55
  Speaker 3: Where they asked you the same question, but for us,
• 20:57
  Speaker 3: it was tough. Okay.
• 20:59
  Speaker 2: And what questions did they ask you?
• 21:02
  Speaker 4: The question that they asked me is who would I
• 21:05
  Speaker 4: consider to be my role model?
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: And did you know, when you're preparing for this, do
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: you know the arc of the questions? Like, can you
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: work on this or it comes out of the blue?
• 21:14
  Speaker 4: So I don't know what they're going to ask, just
• 21:17
  Speaker 4: like any of my sister who was competing at that time.
• 21:21
  Speaker 4: You just have to be prepared for anything off the
• 21:23
  Speaker 4: spot and you have to be on a, like, just
• 21:26
  Speaker 4: be able to just pick up the question and go.
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: So had you been, had you prepared with that question before?
• 21:31
  Speaker 3: No, but I just spoke from the heart and I
• 21:35
  Speaker 3: was genuine about my answer.
• 21:36
  Speaker 4: And I said, for those who don't know, I said,
• 21:38
  Speaker 4: it was my mom because I've given up so much.
• 21:41
  Speaker 4: And I know that in path entry, you're not supposed
• 21:44
  Speaker 4: to say your mom, because every girl say it's my mom,
• 21:47
  Speaker 4: every girl's favorite person is their mom. And my mom
• 21:51
  Speaker 4: has been through so much just from my transition, just
• 21:54
  Speaker 4: from overcoming a genocide and being able to bring us
• 21:59
  Speaker 4: to this country and allowing us to achieve our American dream,
• 22:02
  Speaker 4: which is what I'm living right now. I think that's
• 22:05
  Speaker 4: just something that I can never repay her.
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: Do you think she's proud of you?
• 22:10
  Speaker 3: Oh, absolutely.
• 22:10
  Speaker 4: She held on to my crown, Rachel. And she was like,
• 22:13
  Speaker 4: oh my God, it happened. I'm so proud of you.
• 22:16
  Speaker 4: But I, she doesn't know how to express that because
• 22:18
  Speaker 4: she came from a different generation.
• 22:21
  Speaker 3: Wow.
• 22:22
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: What was that moment like when you heard that you
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: were going to be Miss Marilyn?
• 22:29
  Speaker 3: Oh my gosh.
• 22:30
  Speaker 4: Like, you know, the whole night, to be honest, just
• 22:32
  Speaker 4: to backtrack a little bit, I was just so grateful
• 22:35
  Speaker 4: to be even announced the top 18 or top. You know,
• 22:38
  Speaker 4: that's the semifinal, but you may be the first cut
• 22:43
  Speaker 4: into the next day.
• 22:44
  Speaker 3: So I'm grateful.
• 22:46
  Speaker 4: To be there and grateful that they saw something being
• 22:48
  Speaker 4: 31 and being my first cut. And despite how much
• 22:52
  Speaker 4: I worked hard for this and prepared for this, I
• 22:55
  Speaker 4: still feel humbled by it. And at that time when
• 22:57
  Speaker 4: they announced who the first runner-up was, I just blacked out, Rachel.
• 23:02
  Speaker 4: And I cried and cried. I remember thanking God. The
• 23:04
  Speaker 4: first thing I did went like this.
• 23:06
  Speaker 3: Thank God. for answering my prayer.
• 23:08
  Speaker 4: And if this goes to show anything, I hope it
• 23:11
  Speaker 4: shows you the testimony that God truly answered prayers. Whether
• 23:15
  Speaker 4: you believe in him or not, I am a firm
• 23:17
  Speaker 4: believer in God.
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: What do you think the impact your win has had
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: on the misrepresentation of Asian Americans and transgender individuals in
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: mainstream media in general?
• 23:28
  Speaker 4: Well, I hope that throughout my reign that I can
• 23:31
  Speaker 4: be a good representation to open up some doors for people,
• 23:34
  Speaker 4: but not just opening doors, but leaving the door open
• 23:37
  Speaker 4: for other trans women and other Asian American women who
• 23:41
  Speaker 4: come after me. And by doing so, I hope that
• 23:43
  Speaker 4: I'm a good representation by just being a good contribution
• 23:48
  Speaker 4: to society and doing good work with the USO and
• 23:51
  Speaker 4: opening up people's mind that trans women are just any
• 23:55
  Speaker 4: other woman like I mentioned earlier. We just want to
• 23:58
  Speaker 4: live our American dream and hope like to make our
• 24:00
  Speaker 4: mom proud.
• 24:01
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: What advice would you give other individuals, any individuals who
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: feel misunderstood or not included in things?
• 24:12
  Speaker 4: It's a tough decision to be in because like, you know,
• 24:16
  Speaker 4: there's no right or wrong answer. But what I can
• 24:17
  Speaker 4: tell you is what helped me is to be like
• 24:20
  Speaker 4: a horse and put your blinders on because I was
• 24:22
  Speaker 4: just at pregnancy. And that helps me a lot. You
• 24:25
  Speaker 4: just focus on the positivity that is coming your way.
• 24:28
  Speaker 4: You are one of them, Rachel. You came to me
• 24:30
  Speaker 4: and helped me spread this message of beauty without an
• 24:33
  Speaker 4: expiration date.
• 24:34
  Speaker 3: And I hope this shows.
• 24:35
  Speaker 5: Itching, burning, soreness. When you know it's thrush, you want
• 24:40
  Speaker 5: it gone. Treat the cause, not just the symptoms, with
• 24:43
  Speaker 5: Caniston Combi, Ireland's number one thrush treatment brand. Caniston Combi,
• 24:47
  Speaker 5: pastry and cream contain cotrimazole.
• 24:49
  Speaker 6: Always read the label. Number one based on volume sales data.
• 24:52
  Speaker 6: To verify, contact info.ireland at bayer.com.
• 24:55
  Speaker 4: People that can be any age and anything you want
• 24:59
  Speaker 4: in life, there's no expiration date until your last breath.
• 25:02
  Speaker 4: And that life doesn't have an expiration date. You can
• 25:04
  Speaker 4: immigrate to America at the age of 11. And by 31,
• 25:08
  Speaker 4: you can become Miss Maryland USA and hopefully Miss USA
• 25:10
  Speaker 4: by the grace of God. You know, so I just
• 25:13
  Speaker 4: hope I can show that to people and never give
• 25:16
  Speaker 4: up and just focus on the positive and keep your
• 25:18
  Speaker 4: eyes on the prize.
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: So now that you've won Miss Maryland, what what does
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: that mean in general in terms of a job? Is
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: there like a platform that you speak on? And until August,
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: when you go to Miss USA, you're doing a bunch
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: of things with this platform.
• 25:32
  Speaker 2: Explain that to me.
• 25:34
  Speaker 4: So I've been, I don't like to call it a platform.
• 25:37
  Speaker 4: People call it platform a lot. But I call it
• 25:41
  Speaker 4: something that I've been passionate about working with, which is USL,
• 25:44
  Speaker 4: the military spouse community. That's been something that I've always
• 25:48
  Speaker 4: been interested in. I was involved with the officer's bond
• 25:51
  Speaker 4: club for the US Marine Corps. Officer Spouse Club, and
• 25:56
  Speaker 4: I've been involved with the organization for a while now.
• 25:58
  Speaker 4: So it's not just something that I've done just leading
• 26:01
  Speaker 4: up to the pageant. So I hope I can show
• 26:04
  Speaker 4: the people for the rest of my life that I'm
• 26:07
  Speaker 4: going to be championing and being a relentless champion of
• 26:11
  Speaker 4: hope for all the military spouses, as well as the
• 26:14
  Speaker 4: dependent of our military dependents as well.
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: Okay, so now let's look ahead at August. I think
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: it's August 4th, right? Miss USA, it's happening in LA.
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: What kind of preparations are you doing for that? Because
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: this is going to be a big deal. And everyone
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: obviously is going to be looking at you to see
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: how far you get.
• 26:36
  Speaker 4: I hope that I make you guys proud at the
• 26:38
  Speaker 4: very least. But I have been training very hard. I've
• 26:42
  Speaker 4: been preparing myself mentally, physically. And also spiritually, because I
• 26:47
  Speaker 4: have to be able to keep up with the stamina
• 26:50
  Speaker 4: to become the job title of Feeling Miss USA by
• 26:54
  Speaker 4: doing multiple interviews in a certain amount of time. You know,
• 26:57
  Speaker 4: I have shown to people that throughout my two-week train,
• 27:02
  Speaker 4: I've done more interviews than a past title holder, according
• 27:05
  Speaker 4: to my manager.
• 27:06
  Speaker 3: She said that.
• 27:07
  Speaker 4: Told me that, Bailey, you're doing a lot more than
• 27:09
  Speaker 4: the past time holder. And that's just the title of
• 27:12
  Speaker 4: Miss USA because she's going to be speaking to the press.
• 27:14
  Speaker 4: She's going to be speaking to the children. I have
• 27:16
  Speaker 4: spoken to children at the Pride Parade in Baltimore. So
• 27:20
  Speaker 4: building up that stamina leading up to Miss USA is
• 27:23
  Speaker 4: something that I've been working on.
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: Well, it's interesting that you mentioned that because I was
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: going to ask you what the actual job is of
• 27:31
  Speaker 1: Miss USA, because eight months after being crowned Miss USA,
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: Noelia Voigt, I think I'm getting her name right. She
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: resigned stating, you know, mental health issues. She really wanted
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: to focus on her mental health and also saying that
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: Miss USA, the organization had a toxic work environment.
• 27:48
  Speaker 2: Do you have any thoughts about that?
• 27:51
  Speaker 4: You know, I don't know Noelia personally, and I don't
• 27:54
  Speaker 4: know Miss USA organization personally, but I am under their
• 27:59
  Speaker 4: parent umbrella. I know Latha is a wonderful person, but
• 28:03
  Speaker 4: I have not known her personally.
• 28:05
  Speaker 3: But I respect.
• 28:07
  Speaker 4: Noelia's opinion of what's going on. I feel for everybody
• 28:11
  Speaker 4: in this position. And I just hope that we can
• 28:14
  Speaker 4: bring the shift And to what we all have in common.
• 28:17
  Speaker 4: And that is the love of pageantry. And what we're
• 28:20
  Speaker 4: passionate about is to make our lives better. And the young,
• 28:23
  Speaker 4: impressionable women that come into this organization and what their
• 28:27
  Speaker 4: takeaway is. I just hope that we can bring that
• 28:30
  Speaker 4: common ground together and bring that into the Miss USA
• 28:35
  Speaker 4: pageant coming in August. But I feel for the way
• 28:38
  Speaker 4: we are. I went to sisterhood all the way through.
• 28:41
  Speaker 4: And I also don't know anything about Layla. And I
• 28:44
  Speaker 4: just pray that everything will work out on there.
• 28:47
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: So and also, I think there's a misunderstanding on on
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: pageantry in general, I think, you know, because there are
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: little girls that compete in it. And, you know, sort
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: of like these moms that are so obsessed with the
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: way that their children look all the way up to
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: when you're adults. Can you talk about the difference about
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: these people that think this is all about beauty and
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: materialistic things and physical appearance? I'm assuming, and correct me
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: if I'm wrong, for someone like you that's really involved
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: in it, it's more than that. And I know you
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: don't like to use the word platform, but there is
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: a way to get the word out about things that
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: are important to you. Like what to you is pageantry
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: and what is it that we're missing about the whole
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: industry in general?
• 29:28
  Speaker 4: Well, I think I'm redefining the... definition of F &
• 29:32
  Speaker 4: J right now. One of the things that Layla, our
• 29:37
  Speaker 4: president of the Miss York Day organization, our implemented when
• 29:40
  Speaker 4: she took over the organization of Miss USA is that
• 29:44
  Speaker 4: there is a definition of patented.
• 29:48
  Speaker 3: And for me, the definition has evolved throughout the years.
• 29:51
  Speaker 4: Miss USA was not the same 10 years ago and
• 29:53
  Speaker 4: she's not going to be the same for the next
• 29:54
  Speaker 4: 10 years. And hopefully I am on the right path
• 29:58
  Speaker 4: to helping her getting to that point of the next
• 30:02
  Speaker 4: 10 years by helping define what Miss USA is all about.
• 30:06
  Speaker 4: And I think that I'm doing exactly so by being
• 30:10
  Speaker 4: Miss Maryland USA, by being a military spouse, being an
• 30:14
  Speaker 4: immigrant who was taught to achieve my American dream.
• 30:18
  Speaker 3: I'm living in it.
• 30:19
  Speaker 4: And to show the people that trans women are so
• 30:22
  Speaker 4: much more than just the label and the political.
• 30:25
  Speaker 3: Issues that we're all dealing with.
• 30:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: And also we talked about this before off camera, but
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: even though it's not under your same umbrella, Miss Alabama
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: has won recently. And the look of Miss Alabama has
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: been under a lot of criticism. She is what some
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: people would consider overweight, but she's a plus size person.
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: And it like threw people for a loop because they
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: were like, this is not what pageantry is about. And
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: people have a lot to say on that subject. So
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: it does seem like the the the vision of what,
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: let's say, beautiful is or being a woman is or,
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: you know, the most beautiful in your region all the
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: way up to America. So do you have a thought
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: on actual beauty and how important that might be or
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: might not be as much in this competition?
• 31:14
  Speaker 4: I personally think that beauty is in the eyes of
• 31:17
  Speaker 4: the beholder. And to the judges, I passed those beauty tests,
• 31:21
  Speaker 4: I hope. Hopefully so. Not to say that I'm bragging
• 31:26
  Speaker 4: or anything, but I know that it's so different and
• 31:28
  Speaker 4: so subjective, Rachel. Like you can't really say that Miss
• 31:32
  Speaker 4: USA is a cookie cutter because although in the past
• 31:36
  Speaker 4: it might've been, but now the beauty, the standard of
• 31:39
  Speaker 4: beauty have changed drastically.
• 31:40
  Speaker 3: And I just hope that I can show.
• 31:42
  Speaker 4: To people that, the definition of beauty has changed and
• 31:46
  Speaker 4: has evolved with the time. And that beauty never have
• 31:49
  Speaker 4: an expiration date, whether you're 31, whether you're married, you're
• 31:52
  Speaker 4: still beautiful because in God's eye, like he made us
• 31:56
  Speaker 4: the way that we are. And he, he thinks that
• 31:59
  Speaker 4: we're beautiful. So why are we not thinking that we're beautiful?
• 32:02
  Speaker 4: So I, I'm feeling for Alabama, right?
• 32:05
  Speaker 3: I'm very excited.
• 32:07
  Speaker 4: I feel for her because nobody should be commenting on
• 32:10
  Speaker 4: a woman's weight or a woman's age.
• 32:13
  Speaker 3: I think that's inappropriate.
• 32:15
  Speaker 4: And I just hope that she has the best support
• 32:17
  Speaker 4: system that she needed to just overcome it.
• 32:20
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: Okay, so going back to Miss USA, what do you
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: think they are looking for? Like in your preparations of
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: getting ready, knowing what you need to do to stand out,
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: what do you think are the most important things that
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: when we're watching, we should also be looking for?
• 32:34
  Speaker 4: Itching.
• 32:35
  Speaker 5: Burning. Soreness. When you know it's thrush, you want it gone.
• 32:40
  Speaker 5: Treat the cause, not just the symptoms, with Caniston Combi,
• 32:43
  Speaker 5: Ireland's number one thrush treatment brand. Caniston Combi, pastry and
• 32:47
  Speaker 5: cream contain cotrimazole.
• 32:48
  Speaker 2: Always read the label.
• 32:49
  Speaker 6: Number one based on volume sales data. To verify, contact info.ireland
• 32:53
  Speaker 6: at bayer.com.
• 32:55
  Speaker 4: Well, you know, I never do anything just to stand out,
• 32:58
  Speaker 4: by the way. I just, all of this is just
• 33:01
  Speaker 4: like by a surprise. And I'm so sorry I'm shopping
• 33:04
  Speaker 4: a lot of people off. But I hope that they're
• 33:08
  Speaker 4: looking for me, at least. I hope that they're giving
• 33:11
  Speaker 4: me this, you know, an equal chance just to achieve
• 33:14
  Speaker 4: my American dream. Like I mentioned to you, I've always
• 33:17
  Speaker 4: dreamed about becoming Miss USA because of my role model
• 33:20
  Speaker 4: in the past who have won the title so beautifully
• 33:23
  Speaker 4: and the way that they have helped transform the title into.
• 33:26
  Speaker 3: What it is nowadays.
• 33:28
  Speaker 4: And the prestige that it has because it's the woman
• 33:31
  Speaker 4: that came before me. And so I hope that I
• 33:34
  Speaker 4: can carry some of that through my interview process and
• 33:38
  Speaker 4: on stage present and hopefully when the jet is over again. Yeah. Okay.
• 33:45
  Speaker 1: So I know in 2021, there was a girl named
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: Catalina Enriquez.
• 33:48
  Speaker 2: I hope I'm getting her name right. She was the
• 33:50
  Speaker 2: first trans woman.
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: She was Miss Nevada and And she didn't place at
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: all in the top, what is it, the top 18,
• 33:57
  Speaker 1: you said, the top 20?
• 33:59
  Speaker 4: Well, it's different for every patent, like state patent or
• 34:01
  Speaker 4: Miss USA or Miss Universe. Sometimes there's a top 20,
• 34:04
  Speaker 4: sometimes there's a top 15.
• 34:06
  Speaker 3: Okay.
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: So she didn't place. Now, I mean, I looked at
• 34:09
  Speaker 1: her picture. Again, I have no idea what the credentials are.
• 34:13
  Speaker 1: I thought she was gorgeous. I didn't see who placed
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: ahead of her. But I was curious if you thought,
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: I mean, I'm sure that you studied this a little.
• 34:21
  Speaker 1: Do you think the world was kind of just not
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: ready for the fact that she was a trans woman?
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: Or do you think that she just didn't do well
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: next to her competition?
• 34:30
  Speaker 3: I'm not sure.
• 34:32
  Speaker 4: I can't tell you what exactly went on behind closed
• 34:34
  Speaker 4: doors because I don't believe it's 50%.
• 34:38
  Speaker 3: But what I can tell you.
• 34:39
  Speaker 4: Is that she's such a beautiful woman and I've actually
• 34:41
  Speaker 4: gotten a chance to reach out to her and say,
• 34:43
  Speaker 4: thank you for paving the way for me to be here.
• 34:45
  Speaker 4: If this had not been for her, nobody would have
• 34:48
  Speaker 4: known what Transforming the Dollar found. So I thank her
• 34:52
  Speaker 4: for being this transformational leader, like ahead of the time
• 34:56
  Speaker 4: when we weren't even really talking about it. You know,
• 35:00
  Speaker 4: in 2012, we agreed to talk about Miss Canada. Shout
• 35:03
  Speaker 4: out to Miss Canada. The Miss Universe organization have allowed
• 35:06
  Speaker 4: her to compete, I believe, where maybe not.
• 35:09
  Speaker 3: I can't remember.
• 35:10
  Speaker 4: But I did know that without those women, I wouldn't
• 35:13
  Speaker 4: be here. So thanks to them.
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: Did she give you any advice of things to do
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: or not do?
• 35:19
  Speaker 4: She has not reached out back to me yet. But
• 35:21
  Speaker 4: I'm sure she will. And I am sure she's a
• 35:23
  Speaker 4: great person. And I think she deserves everything that she's
• 35:26
  Speaker 4: going after.
• 35:27
  Speaker 3: Yeah. Right.
• 35:29
  Speaker 1: Right.
• 35:30
  Speaker 2: Um, okay.
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: So in this competition, is it the same thing as
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: Miss Maryland? It's a interview. It's a what?
• 35:38
  Speaker 3: A gown?
• 35:40
  Speaker 4: So you do interview, private interview, and then you do
• 35:43
  Speaker 4: evening gown and then specific competition. And then we have
• 35:45
  Speaker 4: our top three, top five Q & A, which they
• 35:49
  Speaker 4: ask you a random question. Sometimes they ask the same
• 35:51
  Speaker 4: question in a top three and you just have to
• 35:54
  Speaker 4: answer it on the spot without hearing your competitors or
• 35:57
  Speaker 4: your sister right next to you.
• 35:59
  Speaker 2: And you're not going to answer that you want world peace, right?
• 36:02
  Speaker 2: Oh my gosh.
• 36:03
  Speaker 3: If I answered that, Rachel, please have me come back
• 36:05
  Speaker 3: and explain myself.
• 36:06
  Speaker 2: That's so funny. So I love that.
• 36:11
  Speaker 3: All right.
• 36:12
  Speaker 1: How do you pick the gown that you're going to wear?
• 36:15
  Speaker 4: The gown that I'm going to wear is going to
• 36:17
  Speaker 4: be a reflection of my personality.
• 36:18
  Speaker 3: Okay. That's very important to me.
• 36:20
  Speaker 4: Also, I purposely pick a designer that is in the
• 36:25
  Speaker 4: Asian community so that I can show my culture. I
• 36:29
  Speaker 4: know that that's something like, not that I'm not saying
• 36:31
  Speaker 4: that I'm not willing to work with any designer because
• 36:34
  Speaker 4: I would be grateful for anything coming my way, any blessing,
• 36:37
  Speaker 4: but I, wanted to showcase my culture and what it
• 36:41
  Speaker 4: means to be an Asian American woman to be on
• 36:44
  Speaker 4: the Miss USA stage. And I know that I'm the
• 36:46
  Speaker 4: first Miss Maryland USA and I have to represent Maryland
• 36:50
  Speaker 4: really well. And Maryland has always been about diversity and
• 36:54
  Speaker 4: inclusivity and acceptance.
• 36:56
  Speaker 3: And I just want to show that in my gown.
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: So wait, I'm going to have, I have a superficial
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: question because I think women in general want to know
• 37:03
  Speaker 1: like how to look their best in a bathing suit.
• 37:05
  Speaker 1: And also like when they're going to a black tie.
• 37:08
  Speaker 1: So are these gowns like completely tailored to your body?
• 37:11
  Speaker 1: And then like the night before you're tailoring it. So
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: it fits every curve.
• 37:14
  Speaker 2: Do you know the color that works best on you?
• 37:16
  Speaker 1: Like when you're surrounded by all these things so that
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: you know, you're trying to look your best. Are you
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: given tips and tricks of like, listen, blue looks great
• 37:25
  Speaker 1: on someone with your color hair or you have to
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: make your boobs accentuate. What have you heard in getting
• 37:30
  Speaker 1: ready and how to make yourself look the best you can?
• 37:34
  Speaker 4: Well, you know, I just trust our team and prepared
• 37:37
  Speaker 4: when you have been helping me to pick up my
• 37:40
  Speaker 4: gown and pick up my outfits for the Miss USA pageant.
• 37:44
  Speaker 4: So I think it's up to the woman herself and
• 37:48
  Speaker 4: see what she wants to accentuate and what she wants to,
• 37:51
  Speaker 4: you know, to like, be more conservative on. For me,
• 37:55
  Speaker 4: I've always loved glitter and rhinestones. Oh, like, you know,
• 38:01
  Speaker 4: like most dance girls that have dance backgrounds, I love rhinestones.
• 38:05
  Speaker 3: The more, the better.
• 38:06
  Speaker 4: The sparklier, the better. And that's just something that I
• 38:09
  Speaker 4: choose personally. That's not something that is required for you
• 38:12
  Speaker 4: or anybody else. I think you just have to find
• 38:16
  Speaker 4: what works best for you. Did you have a dance background?
• 38:19
  Speaker 4: I'm curious now that you brought that up. I did.
• 38:21
  Speaker 3: I did. I used to dance all my life.
• 38:24
  Speaker 2: Oh, like what kind of dance?
• 38:26
  Speaker 4: So when I was in Cambodia, I learned Cambodian classical ballet,
• 38:29
  Speaker 4: Bonyo dancing. And then when I came to America, I
• 38:32
  Speaker 4: learned traditional ballet. And I learned everything like, except for tap,
• 38:38
  Speaker 4: because I am like rhythm, rhythm.
• 38:41
  Speaker 3: I don't know how to say it. Rhythmically challenged.
• 38:46
  Speaker 2: Rhythmically challenged.
• 38:49
  Speaker 3: Exactly. Thank you, Rachel. But I have a challenge on that.
• 38:53
  Speaker 4: Like I am not always upbeat. I've learned to overcome
• 38:57
  Speaker 4: that through ballet. And ballet helps me to be grateful
• 39:01
  Speaker 4: on the stage and to have the stage presence. Whenever
• 39:04
  Speaker 4: the spotlight is on, you're performing. So I went on
• 39:08
  Speaker 4: to the U.S. for the UMBC dance team. I cheer
• 39:11
  Speaker 4: in high school. And I did one year with the
• 39:14
  Speaker 4: Washington Commanders on their training program. So I'm very grateful
• 39:19
  Speaker 4: for all that have led me to be the woman
• 39:21
  Speaker 4: that I am.
• 39:23
  Speaker 1: So if you had to do a talent competition, would
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: you have chosen to do a ballet dance?
• 39:29
  Speaker 4: Yeah, totally. because that's my background and I can do
• 39:32
  Speaker 4: a 14.
• 39:33
  Speaker 3: Oh, yeah. Fair enough. I can do I Love It Gone.
• 39:38
  Speaker 3: I think back in my.
• 39:39
  Speaker 4: Days of being a captain on the UMBC dance team,
• 39:43
  Speaker 4: I was able to do 14 in a row. So
• 39:46
  Speaker 4: don't quote me on that now because that's been many
• 39:48
  Speaker 4: years ago.
• 39:51
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 39:51
  Speaker 1: Now, also, I want to ask a superficial question about
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: your bathing suit, because I have seen you compete with
• 39:57
  Speaker 1: your bathing suit.
• 39:58
  Speaker 2: You have one of the best bodies I've ever seen.
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: So I think people will want to know, what do
• 40:02
  Speaker 1: you do to stay in shape and what do you eat?
• 40:05
  Speaker 3: Get a marine husband. I'm telling you. More happy running.
• 40:10
  Speaker 4: Running like twice a day oh my gosh Rachel yeah
• 40:14
  Speaker 4: well no all because I wanted to because I want
• 40:17
  Speaker 4: to become healthy leading up to the pattern I want
• 40:19
  Speaker 4: to be in my best physical shape because as a
• 40:23
  Speaker 4: 31 year old woman I know that society probably think
• 40:26
  Speaker 4: that we're washed up and that we're not ready to
• 40:29
  Speaker 4: compete or stay ready and I just want to show
• 40:31
  Speaker 4: people that I want to show that hard work will
• 40:34
  Speaker 4: show up at the end. And like, I hope I
• 40:38
  Speaker 4: have done that, Rachel, by being, you know, working really hard,
• 40:42
  Speaker 4: cleaning up your patch and eating clean, but not depriving
• 40:45
  Speaker 4: myself of my favorite food, which is cheesesteak. New York
• 40:48
  Speaker 4: cheesesteak is something that I can't live without.
• 40:50
  Speaker 2: Oh my God, that's so funny.
• 40:52
  Speaker 3: Okay.
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: So do you have any prediction about what's going to
• 40:54
  Speaker 1: happen with Miss USA? Like, are there certain competitors that
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: you're nervous about? Like, give me some inside scoop as
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: to what you're working on and thinking about and predicting
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: for August.
• 41:07
  Speaker 4: You know, funny enough, Rachel, we haven't found all of
• 41:10
  Speaker 4: our winners yet.
• 41:11
  Speaker 3: All of my sister have not been found all all
• 41:14
  Speaker 3: of the states.
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 41:16
  Speaker 4: Next week, I'm actually going to New York to D
• 41:19
  Speaker 4: & D. My boss, our company is going to proud
• 41:22
  Speaker 4: Miss New York, USA. And I'm excited to meet her
• 41:26
  Speaker 4: and excited to welcome her into this person.
• 41:28
  Speaker 3: But I don't have any prediction. Like I just hope
• 41:31
  Speaker 3: I'm one of them.
• 41:32
  Speaker 4: Like if I'm honored enough to represent you know, the
• 41:35
  Speaker 4: USA as a whole to show to the universe that
• 41:40
  Speaker 4: American women have evolved and that people have opened their
• 41:43
  Speaker 4: hearts and their minds to so many different walks of
• 41:46
  Speaker 4: life and celebrating women universally.
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: Right. And do they ask you though to, again, I
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: know you hate the word platform, but do they ask
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: you to have something that you represent that will be
• 41:57
  Speaker 1: your platform if you do in Miss America that you
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: will go on tour and talk about? Will it be
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: about the USO and the military or what will your
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: outlook be that you're kind of talking a lot about?
• 42:08
  Speaker 4: So Miss USA, I know is working with Small Train
• 42:12
  Speaker 4: and that's something that I am working on. I'm in
• 42:16
  Speaker 4: the process of working on, coming on board to work.
• 42:19
  Speaker 4: to participate in their organization. I think on July 1st
• 42:24
  Speaker 4: is when I will debut my campaign with them. So
• 42:29
  Speaker 4: hopefully I will be able to work on so many
• 42:32
  Speaker 4: philanthropic organizations that Richie Rosé has set in place for
• 42:36
  Speaker 4: us and try to hold there.
• 42:38
  Speaker 3: But for me personally, I will always let the U.S.R.
• 42:41
  Speaker 3: in my heart.
• 42:42
  Speaker 4: And because that's the community that I've been a part
• 42:45
  Speaker 4: of for quite some time now.
• 42:47
  Speaker 1: Right.
• 42:47
  Speaker 2: And that's an authentic, real thing for you, obviously.
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: What are your future goals, your aspirations, both in your
• 42:55
  Speaker 1: personal life, but also in this new professional life that
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: you're going to have?
• 42:58
  Speaker 4: Personal life? I want to look as beautiful as Rachel.
• 43:02
  Speaker 4: And be as successful as you are. Now, I just
• 43:06
  Speaker 4: hope that I can, you know, become this person that
• 43:10
  Speaker 4: will give other people hope that they don't have to
• 43:14
  Speaker 4: end up where life takes them. beyond their circumstances, they
• 43:18
  Speaker 4: can become Miss Maryland USA or Miss USA or even
• 43:21
  Speaker 4: Miss Universe, whatever in line for them. If they can't
• 43:25
  Speaker 4: see themselves in these desirable positions, I hope that they have.
• 43:29
  Speaker 3: The courage to pursue it and forge their own path.
• 43:33
  Speaker 4: Because I've been told all my life that you can't
• 43:35
  Speaker 4: become what you can't see. But, you know, by me
• 43:39
  Speaker 4: being here, I hope that immigrant kids everywhere now can
• 43:42
  Speaker 4: see that there is a place for them in America
• 43:45
  Speaker 4: and trans kids everywhere as well.
• 43:48
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: The next month and a half, two months, whatever it's
• 43:51
  Speaker 1: going to be until Miss USA, you are going to
• 43:55
  Speaker 1: be in the spotlight a lot. I have a feeling
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: and I have a feeling that it's going to be
• 43:59
  Speaker 1: a little bit of a controversy for a lot of
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: people that either don't understand, don't like it or people
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: that love it.
• 44:05
  Speaker 4: Right.
• 44:05
  Speaker 2: And are excited to see the outcome.
• 44:08
  Speaker 1: I just, you know, for people listening that are on
• 44:11
  Speaker 1: the fence, that don't really know what to make of this,
• 44:15
  Speaker 1: what would you say about being misunderstood in this moment? That,
• 44:18
  Speaker 1: you know, besides, you know, the fact that all these
• 44:22
  Speaker 1: things that you're saying that this has been your dream
• 44:24
  Speaker 1: and this is so great, what would you say that
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: you want people to be aware of going forward when
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: thinking about this controversy and this topic of whether or
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: not you should be able to compete, whether or not,
• 44:35
  Speaker 1: you know, only women, people born this way should be able,
• 44:38
  Speaker 1: the standards of gender, the standards of beauty, What would
• 44:41
  Speaker 1: you say to those people that are misunderstood about this topic?
• 44:45
  Speaker 4: I would say to them to support your sister and
• 44:47
  Speaker 4: not just your sister, if that makes sense.
• 44:51
  Speaker 3: See, I does. You know, I think that trans woman
• 44:54
  Speaker 3: obviously is woman, you know, despite.
• 44:57
  Speaker 4: Many people might object to that and I respect their opinion.
• 45:02
  Speaker 4: But like I said to you, Rachel, I hope that
• 45:05
  Speaker 4: I can show to them that I'm just like any
• 45:07
  Speaker 4: other woman out there on the street, that I'm like
• 45:10
  Speaker 4: their cousin, their sister, their, even their, you know, their, their,
• 45:16
  Speaker 4: friend like that they work with or their colleague I
• 45:20
  Speaker 4: just live this normal life and I hope that through
• 45:23
  Speaker 4: normal city I can like decolorize like every uh like
• 45:29
  Speaker 4: you know like polarizing like topic that we're talking about
• 45:33
  Speaker 4: in this country. And I just hope that I can
• 45:36
  Speaker 4: show the people that this is not a political thing.
• 45:39
  Speaker 4: This is just a woman wanting to join the competition
• 45:42
  Speaker 4: because the pageant gives so much platform to women to
• 45:45
  Speaker 4: have this opportunity to speak about how is there a
• 45:49
  Speaker 4: point of care, like the organization I work with, the USL,
• 45:52
  Speaker 4: like I mentioned to you, I hope instituted the children
• 45:54
  Speaker 4: reading program. And because of that, Because of the title,
• 45:59
  Speaker 4: it's going to open up so many doors for me
• 46:01
  Speaker 4: to speak on that and to bring more awareness to
• 46:04
  Speaker 4: that and how important it is for the military spouses
• 46:07
  Speaker 4: community because they've been through so much throughout the years
• 46:10
  Speaker 4: when their husband is not there. So I want to
• 46:13
  Speaker 4: shed that light that we have so much more in
• 46:15
  Speaker 4: common than we give ourselves credit for.
• 46:18
  Speaker 3: And I just want to, at the end of the.
• 46:20
  Speaker 4: Day, hopefully change your mind and your heart and open
• 46:23
  Speaker 4: up doors and holding the door open for other people.
• 46:26
  Speaker 4: even if we don't agree on things politically. Bailey, I
• 46:30
  Speaker 4: think you're amazing. I'm going to be personally watching you.
• 46:32
  Speaker 4: I cannot wait to watch. Will it be televised? It's
• 46:35
  Speaker 4: always televised, right? Yes, so it's going to be on CW.
• 46:39
  Speaker 4: So everyone, please tune in and I hope that you
• 46:41
  Speaker 4: root for me as I need to risk your day
• 46:44
  Speaker 4: and I'm springing up. the crown back to Maryland where
• 46:47
  Speaker 4: it belongs.
• 46:48
  Speaker 2: That's right.
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: Well, I will be rooting for you. I hope everyone
• 46:51
  Speaker 1: that's listening will be rooting for you. You deserve the best. And,
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: you know, I can't wait to see where this leads
• 46:57
  Speaker 1: for you. Where can people learn more about you and
• 47:00
  Speaker 1: find you if they want to be in touch with you?
• 47:03
  Speaker 3: Yes, ma'am.
• 47:03
  Speaker 4: You can follow me at MissMDUSA on Instagram, or you
• 47:08
  Speaker 4: can follow my personal Instagram at BaileyAnnKennedy, B-A-I-L-B-Y-A-N-N-E, Kennedy, or
• 47:14
  Speaker 4: Bailey at that info and that's going to be on
• 47:18
  Speaker 4: my website.
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: Okay.
• 47:20
  Speaker 2: Good luck to you.
• 47:21
  Speaker 3: Thank you, Rachel, for having me. Of course.
• 47:23
  Speaker 2: Anytime you got to come back. Let me know how
• 47:25
  Speaker 2: it was for you.
• 47:25
  Speaker 3: Yes. When I win the crown. Yes.
• 47:28
  Speaker 2: When you win the crown, that is right. Good way
• 47:29
  Speaker 2: to think about it.
• 47:31
  Speaker 4: Thank you.
• 47:42
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening to Misunderstood. I'm your host,
• 47:45
  Speaker 1: Rachel Yucatel. Please be sure to subscribe to the show
• 47:48
  Speaker 1: and give us a five-star rating and review. You can
• 47:50
  Speaker 1: support the show by joining our Patreon at patreon.com slash
• 47:54
  Speaker 1: misunderstood with Rachel Yucatel.
• 47:56
  Speaker 2: Do you have ideas for the show or want to
• 47:58
  Speaker 2: reach out?
• 47:59
  Speaker 1: Email us at infomisunderstoodpodcast at gmail.com. That's spelled M-I-S-S understood.
• 48:07
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much, and I'll see you next time.
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