Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Pageant queen was told to hide her intersex condition. Then she completely shocked everyone.
Jackie Blankenship started entering pageants around the age of 12, but it took her over a decade and a half to start competing as the truest version of herself.
She nabbed her biggest win at age 36, when she was crowned Mrs. America 2022. And as they called her name, Blankenship relished in the fact that no one could claim she didn't deserve the title. No one could say she didn't show up to the nationwide pageant as anything but herself. It was a surprising and unexpected win, but it was earned.
Because in the semi-finals, when the top six Mrs. America contestants individually answer a question on stage, Blankenship spoke with no holds barred. Despite some advice she'd received while training for the pageant, she didn't sugarcoat her story and the platform it inspired.
"There were times when the people that I was preparing with were like, 'I don't know if you should say that. I don't know if you should put it that way,'" Blankenship recalls to PEOPLE. "We were in the top six and I thought, 'I cannot believe I got to this point.' And then I talked about having balls."
https://people.com/intersex-pageant-queen-crowned-winner-after-revealing-her-condition-exclusive-11787610She nabbed her biggest win at age 36, when she was crowned Mrs. America 2022. And as they called her name, Blankenship relished in the fact that no one could claim she didn't deserve the title. No one could say she didn't show up to the nationwide pageant as anything but herself. It was a surprising and unexpected win, but it was earned.
Because in the semi-finals, when the top six Mrs. America contestants individually answer a question on stage, Blankenship spoke with no holds barred. Despite some advice she'd received while training for the pageant, she didn't sugarcoat her story and the platform it inspired.
"There were times when the people that I was preparing with were like, 'I don't know if you should say that. I don't know if you should put it that way,'" Blankenship recalls to PEOPLE. "We were in the top six and I thought, 'I cannot believe I got to this point.' And then I talked about having balls."
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Kick in to the DU tip jar?
This week we're running a special pop-up mini fund drive. From Monday through Friday we're going ad-free for all registered members, and we're asking you to kick in to the DU tip jar to support the site and keep us financially healthy.
As a bonus, making a contribution will allow you to leave kudos for another DU member, and at the end of the week we'll recognize the DUers who you think make this community great.