In a historic milestone for the Miss Georgia USA pageant, Bella Bautista is set to become the first openly transgender woman to compete for the title in June 2025.
This groundbreaking moment has sparked widespread attention, celebration, and debate across mainstream news outlets, reflecting both the progress of inclusivity in pageantry and the ongoing cultural conversations surrounding transgender rights.
Bautista, a Cartersville, Georgia native and current Miss Buckhead USA, shared her journey with Atlanta News First (WANF), a Gray News affiliate. “I was like, this could honestly be a true reality for me.
This dream could one day come true. And just because there hasn’t been a first in Georgia, I could be that first,” she said.
Her entry into the pageant, scheduled for June 12-14 in McDonough, Georgia, marks a significant step forward in a state where such representation has been absent in this competition until now.
According to Newsweek, Bautista’s participation follows in the footsteps of other transgender pioneers in major pageants.
In 2021, Kataluna Enriquez became the first transgender woman to compete in the Miss USA pageant after winning Miss Nevada USA, while Angela Ponce made history in 2018 as the first transgender contestant in Miss Universe.
More recently, Bailey Anne Kennedy broke barriers in 2024 as the first transgender woman to win Miss Maryland USA.
Bautista’s entry adds to this growing legacy, with the potential to also become the first Mexican American woman to claim the Miss Georgia USA crown if she wins.
Bautista is no stranger to advocacy. Rough Draft Atlanta reported that she has used her platform in pageantry to champion transgender rights, notably testifying before the Georgia Senate Committee on Education and Youth against a bill aimed at barring transgender athletes from school sports.
“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 told the outlet.
As a collegiate cheerleader, Bautista has personally felt the sting of legislative efforts to limit transgender participation in sports, telling Atlanta News First, “It’s heartbreaking to know that the elected officials are stripping away my civil rights and opportunity for happiness because being a cheerleader makes me happy.”
Her activism aligns with her pageant goals. Newsweek highlighted her opposition to Georgia’s proposed “Riley Gaines Act,” named after the anti-trans activist and former swimmer, which seeks to restrict transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Bautista’s participation in Miss Georgia USA amplifies her voice at a time when such legislation looms large in the state.
While Bautista’s milestone has been celebrated by many, it has not been without controversy. NBC affiliate WAFF48 (via Local 3 News) noted the harsh backlash she has faced online.
“It had over a thousand comments in less than 30 minutes of people saying that I shouldn’t be in this world, that I’m just a man, that I’m mentally ill, that I don’t belong in this pageant,” Bautista recounted.
This sentiment echoes broader societal debates about transgender inclusion in traditionally gendered spaces like beauty pageants and sports.
Despite the criticism, Bautista remains focused on fairness and representation.
“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,” she told Georgia Voice, as reported by Rough Draft Atlanta.
Her determination underscores her resolve to compete authentically, supported by her experience in the Miss International Queen USA pageant for transgender women earlier this year.
