When Bella Bautista, who identifies as transgender, announced in February that he would be competing in the Miss Georgia USA pageant, he went on a press tour of sorts to trumpet his participation.
In an interview with Rough Draft Atlanta, Bautista spoke about how his participation would be subversive.
“I’m going into a space where I’m not sure how the treatment or reaction is going to be, but all I can hope for and pray for is that I’m treated equally and I’m scored fairly,” Bautista said.
Rough Draft Atlanta noted that the Miss Georgia USA pageant is produced by Greenwood Productions, which is led by Kim Greenwood, the wife of Lee Greenwood. The Greenwoods are both supporters of President Donald Trump, and Lee Greenwood performed his famed “God Bless the USA” at Trump’s inauguration in January.
Bautista’s participation was reported in laudatory fashion by a variety of publications.
“Bella Bautista set to make history as the first-ever trans Miss Georgia USA contestant,” reported Pink News. “Trans woman and advocate announces plans to compete in Miss Georgia USA,” said Fox 5 Atlanta. “Who Is Bella Bautista? Transgender Woman Competing in Miss Georgia USA Pageant,” said a headline in Newsweek.
Upon Bautista’s announcement, Miss Georgia USA told Fox 5 Atlanta, “Eligibility requirements are set by the Miss Universe Organization. As an organization, we look forward to welcoming all eligible contestants and giving them the experience of their lifetime.”
Bautista used his upcoming participation in the Miss Georgia USA pageant in the service of his advocacy for transgender causes.
In February, Bautista showed up at the Georgia state capitol to speak out against a bill that would require athletes to play on the sports team of their biological sex. For the occasion, he wore a sash that said “Miss Buckhead,” representing the title he would be competing under at the Miss Georgia USA pageant. (RELATED: Democrats’ Civil War Over Transgenderism Heats Up)
Bautista’s advocacy tactics were quite forceful. He said, “I want you to remember my face today and ask yourself this question, while you’re praying tonight, perhaps: ‘Why do I not deserve the same rights and liberties as the previous athlete that testified?’” Earlier in the year, Bautista had insisted before the Georgia Senate Committee on Education and Youth that several studies have shown that “there is no biological advantage between transgender athletes and cis athletes.” (RELATED: Trump’s Ban on Males in Female Sports: What It Does, Why It’s Justified, and the Left’s Outrage.)
Bautista was part of the cheerleading team at Oglethorpe University. The team appears to be co-ed.
But soon, Bautista’s pageant dreams all came crashing down.
“With a heavy heart, I am officially relinquishing my title as Miss Buckhead USA 2025,” Bautista announced on Instagram on March 17. “When I joined this pageant, I did so with the hope of breaking barriers, inspiring others, and showing that representation matters. However, after deep reflection, I have come to the decision that the organization’s affiliations and actions no longer align with my personal values and my mission for inclusivity and a world free of discrimination.”
Bautista’s decision to exit the Miss Georgia USA pageant made headlines nationwide, including in Axios. Everyone wanted to know exactly why Bautista had dropped out.
Bautista scored an interview with Teen Vogue in which he did not give an exact reason why he had exited the competition but said, “The organization’s affiliations and actions no longer align with Miss Universe’s and my mission for inclusivity in a world free from discrimination.”
Bautista noted that he had seen posts on Kim Greenwood’s social media accounts that were supportive of Trump. Additionally, he said, “I had concerns regarding the judging and overall scoring.”
In a GoFundMe fundraiser, Bautista further shared that he would be “pursuing a lawsuit against Greenwood Productions.”
Bautista also took part in a TV interview with Atlanta News First to explain his withdrawal from the Miss Georgia USA competition. The news network called his withdrawal “an abrupt change of heart.”
In that interview, Bautista said, “Their actions no longer aligned with my mission for inclusivity.”
There are other reasons why Bautista may not have been the best candidate for the Miss Georgia USA competition.
One of them is that Bautista was charged in 2021 with driving under the influence, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane, failure to obey a traffic control device, and possession of a Schedule I controlled substance, and charged in 2024 with failure to appear.
Last year, Bautista spent 10 days in the Bartow County Jail. He is now suing members of the Bartow County Sheriff’s Department for false imprisonment. His lawsuit asserts, “Plaintiff’s detention was unlawful for at least the last 7 days she was incarcerated.”
The lawsuit further claims, “From the moment the Plaintiff was admitted to the Bartow County Jail, she was treated as though she was a male, although Plaintiff is a transitioning female and placed in isolation in administrative segregation.”
Bautista’s trouble with the law caused some in the public to oppose his participation in the beauty pageant.
“This same man who was arrested for a DUI and all these other charges from Bartow County Georgia, now wants to participate as a woman named Bella in the Miss Georgia, USA 2025. You have got to be kidding me,” said Tori Branum, a marksmanship instructor, on her Facebook page.
“I thought those pageants had a background requirement,” responded one commentator. “I wonder if they ran his legal name instead of his make believe name?”
The Miss Georgia USA competition’s eligibility standards state that all contestants “Must be of good health and moral character.”
All eligibility standards for the Miss Georgia USA competition are set by the Miss Universe Organization. The requirements say that contestants “[m]ust represent and warrant that you are a female (recognized medically and legally as a female in the United States).” Under those rules, several contestants who identify as transgender have competed in and won affiliate competitions.
This differs from the rules set by the competing Miss America organization, which announced in 2023 that contestants who identify as transgender must have “fully completed sexual reassignment surgery/Gender Affirming Surgery from male to female, with accompanying medical certification.”
Currently, Bautista has raised $1,045 on a GoFundMe page for “my pageant journey, my legal fights, my education, and my advocacy.”
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