When Bella Bautista flew back home to Georgia after this year’s Miss International Queen USA, a pageant for transgender women, she was ready to tackle another competition – this time, making history. In June, Bautista will be the first transgender woman to take the stage and compete for the title of Miss Georgia USA.
“I didn’t think I was going to get in because there had never been a transgender contestant before,” Bautista told Georgia Voice. “Going into it, I was very uneasy, but I was authentic and honest.”
If Bautista takes home the title, she will make history again as the first Mexican American woman to be crowned Miss Georgia USA. But the Miss Georgia USA stage will likely be different than that of Miss International Queen USA. The president of Greenwood Productions, the company behind Miss Georgia USA, is married to Lee Greenwood, who performed his song “God Bless the USA” at President Donald Trump’s inauguration concert. And with the lack of precedence that comes with Bautista’s history-making accomplishment, it remains to be seen how a trans contestant will be treated by the judges and fellow competitors.
“I’m going into a space where I’m not sure how the treatment or reaction is going to be, but all I can hope for and pray for is that I’m treated equally and I’m scored fairly,” Bautista said.
Bautista, a pageant newcomer and collegiate athlete, has used her pageantry platform to testify on behalf of trans rights and trans inclusion in school sports in front of Congress and the Georgia legislature since the beginning of this year’s legislative session. She plans to use the platform of Miss Georgia USA to continue to do so.
“I really feel like pageantry gives women a reason to use their voice and their titles to speak about a cause they care about,” she said. “For me, that’s trans topics, especially right now with what’s happening in this country. I believe that it’s important for me to be able to use my voice to not only inspire change for myself, but to inspire change for all people.”
Until she takes the stage this summer, Bautista will use the next five months to prepare for the pageant and continue her advocacy efforts.
“I’m going to be doing everything in my power to put my best foot forward on that stage,” she said. “I’m going to try to slay the catwalk and walk away with that Miss Georgia USA sash.”
Miss Georgia USA 2025 will take place June 12-14 in McDonough, GA. The winner of the title will move on to represent Georgia in the Miss USA pageant. To learn more about Miss Georgia USA, visit missgausa.com. Follow Bella Bautista on Instagram @bellabxllaa.