When Bailey Anne won the 2024 Miss Maryland USA pageant in June, she shattered nearly every barrier in the book as the first trans Asian American military wife over 28 to take the crown. The Montgomery County resident, 32, reflects here on the experiences and influences that brought her to that reigning moment in Maryland.
“It was my first pageant. But I’ve always watched [it] and always wanted to be a part of the legacy of American women who have paved the way for so many of us.
“It is very important to me to represent a [trans] community that for so long has been misunderstood. I’m just like everybody else—your sister, your cousin, even your mom. I just happened to go from point A to point B, but it doesn’t make me any different than you.
“I immigrated from Cambodia at the age of 11. Growing up, I remember having to work hard for everything I received in life. My teacher used to say we have to walk a couple of steps in order to make it to one. For me, having to overcome so much in terms of the cultural shock and being bullied, to [have to] learn English so quickly—I am able to adapt.
“That’s how I went into the pageant: I wanted to be adaptable, and I wanted to be able to learn quickly. I hope I’ve shown people the resiliency and tenacity within all of us who immigrated to this country.
“My mom has been very instrumental in my life. She has shown resiliency as an immigrant woman who overcame a genocide and a war. She was escaping communism during the time of Pol Pot. She brought me and my brother to the United States. I have always given her the credit for teaching me early on that the beauty of life—what you choose to say your version of beauty is, whether the beauty of motherhood, the beauty of your career, your physical beauty, whatever beauty means to you—it never really has an expiration date. You can always start late.
“When I got home that following morning [after the pageant], my mom came to visit, and she immediately looked at the crown. In her eyes, I could see she was so proud. She couldn’t believe it—she kept asking for footage. In that moment, I felt like if I were to die today, I made my mom proud. I made many communities proud.
“May 31 was our preliminary competition [for Miss Maryland USA], and the month of May was my 20th anniversary of coming to America. So it was a big moment. I remember going into the pageant thinking, Wow, I am competing for my childhood dream at the 20-year mark.”
When Bailey Anne won the 2024 Miss Maryland USA pageant in June, she shattered nearly every barrier in the book as the first trans Asian American military wife over 28 to take the crown. The Montgomery County resident, 31, reflects here on the experiences and influences that brought her to that reigning moment in Maryland.
“It was my first pageant. But I’ve always watched [it] and always wanted to be a part of the legacy of American women who have paved the way for so many of us.
“It is very important to me to represent a [trans] community that for so long has been misunderstood. I’m just like everybody else—your sister, your cousin, even your mom. I just happened to go from point A to point B, but it doesn’t make me any different than you.
“I immigrated from Cambodia at the age of 11. Growing up, I remember having to work hard for everything I received in life. My teacher used to say we have to walk a couple of steps in order to make it to one. For me, having to overcome so much in terms of the cultural shock and being bullied, to [have to] learn English so quickly—I am able to adapt.
“That’s how I went into the pageant: I wanted to be adaptable, and I wanted to be able to learn quickly. I hope I’ve shown people the resiliency and tenacity within all of us who immigrated to this country.
“My mom has been very instrumental in my life. She has shown resiliency as an immigrant woman who overcame a genocide and a war. She was escaping communism during the time of Pol Pot. She brought me and my brother to the United States. I have always given her the credit for teaching me early on that the beauty of life—what you choose to say your version of beauty is, whether the beauty of motherhood, the beauty of your career, your physical beauty, whatever beauty means to you—it never really has an expiration date. You can always start late.
“When I got home that following morning [after the pageant], my mom came to visit, and she immediately looked at the crown. In her eyes, I could see she was so proud. She couldn’t believe it—she kept asking for footage. In that moment, I felt like if I were to die today, I made my mom proud. I made many communities proud.
“May 31 was our preliminary competition [for Miss Maryland USA], and the month of May was my 20th anniversary of coming to America. So it was a big moment. I remember going into the pageant thinking, Wow, I am competing for my childhood dream at the 20-year mark.”
—As told to Daniella Byck
This article appears in the August 2024 issue of Washingtonian.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
