Kayleigh Bush won't compete in the Miss America pageant because she doesn't agree with the organization's policy allowing transgender women to compete, she told Newsmax on Friday.
Bush, who was crowned 2025 Miss North Florida, says she was stripped of the honor because she refused to sign a contract four weeks after she won.
"I was unwilling to agree that little boys can become girls, and I took a stand against the Miss America organization and lost my crown," Bush said.
"I was asked to sign a contract that was different than the first one that I had agreed to, because they had changed it," she added.
Bush said that when she saw the contract, she knew she couldn't sign it.
"I was not going to be able to partner with an organization that knowingly promotes the harm harmful, irreversible damage of minor boys," Bush said on "Finnerty."
"I was denied the opportunity to further advance in the Miss America system," Bush added. "All because I took a stand for truth."
"We're competing for Miss America," Bush continued. "Nobody wants a Mister America.
"And it's sad to see these girls sign the contract. But at the end of the day, that's why I had to take a stand for truth."
Bush said she has received enormous support since her interview with TMZ earlier this week went viral.
"I'm just blown away," Bush said. "I never expected to go on national news.
"I could never believe the amount of support that I've been given. I'm so humbled and so thankful that God would call me to do this for him," she added.
In a statement to TMZ, a spokesperson for Miss America said she did not lose her crown.
"She retained her crown. She simply did not go forward because she refused to sign the contract every other contestant signed," the spokesperson said. "This was just one of numerous lies by her.
"Miss America's position is grounded in uniform application of its rules, fairness to all contestants, and adherence to nondiscrimination principles," the spokesperson added.
"The contract does not compel Ms. Bush to compromise her personal beliefs; it requires only that all contestants compete under the same standards and refrain from discriminatory conduct towards others."
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Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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