Miss USA pageant can exclude transgender contestants, appeals court rules

The Miss United States of America pageant can prevent trans women from participating in the competition, a federal court ruled this week.

The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District came in response to a lawsuit brought by Miss Oregon-hopeful and openly transgender woman Anita Green. She sued the Miss USA organization after she was not allowed to participate in the Miss Oregon beauty pageant, even though the pageant itself asked her to take part in the contest.

She initially sued Miss USA in 2019, but the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon dismissed the case, leading her to pursue an appeal.