First Openly Lesbian Contestant To Compete In Miss Southern California Cities and Miss Long Beach Pageant

Out lesbian Jenelle Hutcherson, rocking a Mohawk, tattoos and piercings will ditch the traditional evening gown for a tuxedo and will take to the stage Sunday at the Miss Southern California cities and Miss Long Beach pageant  and will become the first ever openly gay beauty pageant contestant.

“I’m thoroughly excited,” Hutcherson said. “This has been an amazing experience.”

Jenelle’s walk down the runway began with a haircut chit-chat with Justin Rudd the director of the pageant at The Den Salon in downtown Long Beach, California where she works.  Rudd was the one who suggested that she enter and tha her individuality would be embraced in the pageant world.

And with that Janelle decided that there was no reason not to enter the pagent and use it not only as as a platform to promote individual beauty but also to raise awareness of the surge in bullying directed at the LGBT community.

“To me, in my mind, I could have been anyone of those kids,” she said of recent bullying victims.

It’s for the youth,” Hutcherson said of her pageant run. “If I can reach the kids or open up one adult’s mind, it will be totally worth it.”

The Miss Southern California cities and Miss Long Beach pageant Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011.
Source: NBC Los Angeles