Apr. 16—Growing up, Isabelle St. Cyr begged to participate in a Little Miss pageant.
She saw her sister and her close friend on the stage. She wanted to show off her years of dance training during the talent portion of the competition. She particularly loved to see the contestants walk in their gowns.
“To see all of these people that I knew on a daily basis really transform and really embody their true selves and have so much confidence when they were on stage in their gowns — it was something I really wanted to do,” she said.
She will finally get her chance.
St. Cyr, 24, will be the first openly transgender woman to participate in the Miss Maine pageant in May. She will walk the stage as Miss Monson, representing the town where she owns a farm and lives with her partner. She wants to use her platform to challenge stereotypes about trans people, a message that she feels is more important than ever as the Trump administration targets Maine for allowing transgender athletes to participate in sports.
“There’s no one way to be trans,” St. Cyr said. “It’s important now more than ever to break that mold and show people and show other trans people that you are not in a box. You do not have to do the things that people have set up for you. You can blaze your own path.”
Miss Universe, which includes Miss USA and is one of the largest beauty pageants in the world, has allowed trans women to participate since 2012. In 2021, Kataluna Enriquez was crowned Miss Nevada and then became the first openly trans woman to compete in Miss USA.
But not all experiences are positive. Last month, a trans woman withdrew from the competition for Miss Georgia because she said the organization’s actions did not align with her mission for inclusivity. St. Cyr said her experience so far has been positive and welcoming.
Laurie Clemente is the executive director of the Clemente Organization, which presents the state pageants in Maine and Massachusetts.
“She’s been a joy to get to know,” Clemente wrote about St. Cyr in an email. “I appreciate her positive outlook on life.”
REPRESENTING RURAL MAINE
St. Cyr grew up in Howland. She understood her gender identity as a young child and came out to her parents when she was a teenager. In high school, she wore makeup and joined the cheerleading squad. She helped start a sexuality and gender awareness club. But St. Cyr also faced slurs, bullying and threats.
“It definitely was not easy growing up being trans in such a rural area,” St. Cyr said. “The things that I have today never seemed possible when I was 13, 14 years old.”
When she turned 18, she legally changed her name and moved to Bangor. She continued dancing and worked as a makeup artist, but missed her quiet hometown. Her “nana” kept chickens, and as a child, St. Cyr said she would help collect eggs and clean the coops.
A couple of years ago, St. Cyr and her partner moved to their farmstead in Monson, where they raise animals, sell chicken and duck eggs, cultivate fruit trees and tend to the land.
“I started to feel that calling to stay somewhere more rural so I could advocate for these people that are just like me, who grew up in a small town and do truly love it,” St. Cyr said.
She also held onto her pageant dreams. Every year, she watched the Miss Universe pageant. She felt inspired by Enriquez in 2021, and in December, applied to participate in Miss Maine.
Pageant experience is not required; the contestants choose their title to represent a city, county, region or landmark. St. Cyr chose Miss Monson to reflect the town where she has built her life.
“It’s important that people know that there are trans women that live in these rural areas,” she said.
Gia Drew, executive director of Equality Maine, agreed.
“There’s this idea that all LGBTQ people or trans people only live in the larger cities of Maine,” Drew said. “We live here too, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t grow up and exist in the rural towns of Maine.”
CHARACTER AND CONFIDENCE
The Miss Maine pageant will take place in Portland on May 10 and 11. According to the website, each division usually has 25 to 50 contestants who are judged in three areas: interview, swimsuit and evening gown (there is no talent portion). The criteria include “character, poise, confidence and personality.” Clemente said the titleholder is actively involved in the community and partners with charities to advocate for important causes. The judges are also looking for someone who will represents the state in the national Miss USA pageant.
St. Cyr said the interview is a significant portion of the final score. Her years of experience as a dancer and a cheerleader means she is comfortable on stage, but she feels more nervous about that Q&A. She also feels new stress under the Trump administration, but she is trying to prepare herself and the people she cares about for negative backlash.
“The negative backlash is inevitable when you’re a trans person pretty much doing anything in America,” she said. “I think I’ll be able to handle it well and with grace and continue to represent for not just transgender women, but women as a whole.”
Drew said she has also seen positive posts on social media from people who are cheering for St. Cyr in her pageant.
“What a wonderful opportunity it is for Isabelle, and also for other trans people to know this is a possibility,” Drew said.
St. Cyr said her family and friends have supported her by doing mock interviews and joining her on shopping trips. She has chosen her evening gown and her swimwear.
“That’s the part I’m most excited for,” she said. “To walk that stage confidently, as myself, in a bathing suit that makes me feel beautiful.”
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