Miss North Florida Kayleigh Bush Says She was Stripped of Miss America Title After Refusing to Accept Transgenderism
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Kayleigh Bush, who won the 2024 Miss North Florida competition, says she was later removed from her Miss America title after declining to sign an updated contract that included language recognizing transgender participants.
Although Bush had already secured her crown and signed the original agreement confirming her win, she explains that several months later she was presented with a revised contract. According to Bush, the new document added provisions affirming transgender eligibility. She chose not to agree to the changes.
“It was heartbreaking. It was confusing. It was disappointing,” Bush said, noting that she believes the pageant has historically focused on celebrating women. She expressed frustration with what she sees as a shift in how the organization defines eligibility.
Under the current guidelines, contestants must be unmarried and between 18 and 28 years old. The updated description of eligibility includes individuals who have completed male-to-female sex reassignment surgery, specifically vaginoplasty. Bush said she could not support the revised wording.
Beauty pageant winner Kayleigh Bush used to admire Miss America, but now she’s ripping the organization for being unable to define what a woman is. 😳 https://t.co/N055S6cwh7 pic.twitter.com/f0bOWN6SX2
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 11, 2026
In an interview with TMZ, she explained that the contract she was asked to sign differed from the one she had originally accepted shortly after her victory. Bush maintains that her title was revoked not because she violated any rule, but because she declined to agree to the updated terms. She added that her mother also objected to the changes.
Bush said she and her family contacted a director within the Miss America organization and spent weeks attempting to challenge the revision. She stated that they submitted videos, letters, emails, and formal demands through Liberty Counsel, which she says took up her case, but were ultimately unsuccessful.
Because she would not sign the new agreement, Bush said, the organization stripped her of the crown.
In response, representatives for the Miss America competition said their policies are designed to ensure consistency and prevent discrimination. A spokesperson stated that the contract applies the same standards to all contestants and does not require Bush to abandon her personal views, but instead obligates participants to comply with nondiscrimination principles while competing.
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