Organizers of the Miss North Carolina USA pageant have clarified that the decision to strip the recent winner of her crown was due to her history of objectionable speech, rather than her conservative political views or Christian beliefs.
According to a statement from A Blaize Productions, the group responsible for maintaining the North Carolina state license for the Miss USA pageant, the action taken against Brittany Boltinhouse was not influenced by her personal views, political affiliations, or religious stance.
“Our organization is proud to encompass a diverse range of backgrounds, political ideologies, and belief systems. We value and celebrate this diversity,” the statement emphasized.
Boltinhouse, who is affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, expressed her disagreement in an interview with the Carolina Journal. “I believe that I was stripped of my title due to my political stance and my identity as a conservative Christian woman,” she remarked. (Instagram/espino.sosa)
The 27-year-old Boltinhouse captured the Miss North Carolina USA title in June. However, her reign was short-lived as controversial remarks from her past surfaced, leading to her recent dethronement. Boltinhouse argued that her political opinions and previous public statements were the true reasons behind the decision.
“I believe and think I was stripped from my title because of my political stance and my belief system as a conservative Christian woman,” Boltinhouse, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told the Carolina Journal in an interview Friday.
“I am proud of my faith. I am proud of my standards. I am a proud conservative woman, but a Christian woman. I’m a God-fearing woman.”
“I will never let my guard down for my faith, and also I love this country.”
“I won’t be judged for my past,” Brittany Boltinhouse said, taking this setback as a “blessing in disguise” for her, adding she is “glad it happened to me and not some other young lady that, you know, probably just wouldn’t make it through what I am going through right now.” (Instagram/espino.sosa)
The organization that stripped her of her spokeswoman victory says it was due to her online speech, after old social media posts resurfaced of her repeated use of the N-word.
“The decision followed a careful review of the totality of information that came to our attention, including previously undisclosed conduct and public content spanning multiple years that was inconsistent with the standards and responsibilities expected of a Miss North Carolina USA titleholder under the agreements governing the position,” the organizers’ statement concluded.
Miss USA President and CEO Thom Brodeur, who lists “he/him” pronouns on his Instagram, had said in a statement earlier this week that the pageant “does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia nor language that strips any person of their dignity,” according to Fox Carolina, saying the objectionable statements “reflected conduct over an extended period of time.”
“A title here isn’t a trinket,” he told ABC News. “It is a position of trust, extended by an organization and accepted by a woman who agrees to carry a standard in public,” he added. “When that standard is broken, the title cannot continue as though nothing happened.”
“I am proud of my faith,” Brittany Boltinhouse pictured as Miss Wilmington, USA, said. “I am proud of my standards. I am a proud conservative woman, but a Christian woman. I’m a God-fearing woman. I will never let my guard down for my faith, and also I love this country.” (Instagram/espino.sosa)
The Miss North Carolina USA title has since passed to first runner-up Myla Hadley, who is set to represent the state at the Miss USA pageant beginning Aug. 24 in Miami.
“I think and believe that my title was ripped from me because of my beliefs,” Boltinhouse told the Carolina Journal, adding “every teenager has made a mistake” when talking about the posts from 2017-2019 where the alleged objectionable statements were made online.
Boltinhouse pointed to her winning the crown based in part on being named Miss Congeniality “because of my character and who I am.”
“I won’t be judged for my past,” she said, taking this setback as a “blessing in disguise” for her, adding she is “glad it happened to me and not some other young lady that, you know, probably just wouldn’t make it through what I am going through right now.”
“You have a right to be a conservative in this country, a constitutional right,” Brittany Boltinhouse said in an interview. “Everyone has a right to say what they want to say and feel what they want to feel.” (Instagram/espino.sosa)
“You have a right to be a conservative in this country, a constitutional right,” she added in that interview. “Everyone has a right to say what they want to say and feel what they want to feel.”