Ex-Miss North Carolina stripped of crown says she’s ‘not sorry’ for using racial slur
A former beauty pageant winner has claimed her 'rights were violated' after her title was stripped when old social media posts containing a racial slur came to light.
Brittany Boltinhouse had won the title of Miss North Carolina on June 28, but the pageant's governing body soon stripped her of the title on August 5.
Chairman of Miss USA Thom Brodeur said that the decision had been made not as the result of a 'single moment', but the result of 'conduct over an extended period of time'.
He added that Miss USA 'does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia nor language that strips any person of their dignity.'
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The scandal erupted after it emerged that Boltinhouse had previously used a racial slur in posts shared on social media.
However, Boltinhouse has refused to apologize and has now announced plans to mount a legal challenge against the decision to strip her of her title.
She is claiming that she was discriminated against due to her 'political and religious stance', which she describes as being 'God-fearing' and a 'proud conservative'.
"I'm going to address those [posts] in my lawsuit," she told the Daily Mail. "I'm not going to deny them or run from them. But they did not take my crown because of those posts."
She added: "My rights were violated, and I'm going to stand up for myself. They defined a narrative of me, and I'm here to redefine that now."
Asked whether she would apologize for using the slur, she said: "No. Not at all."
This is in contrast to when she was asked about the posts in an interview with the Carolina Journal last Friday (August 7). She responded at the time: "There's a lot of speculation, but I will say every teenager has made a mistake."
Patrick Mincey is an attorney representing Boltinhouse, and claims that she has been defamed.
"She's been called a racist, a homophobe, a transphobe," he said. "Those are false slanders and slurs."
Mincey also addressed the posts in which Boltinhouse used the racial slur, saying: "Those posts are not racist or evidence of racism."
Boltinhouse has claimed that she has been 'unfairly targeted' by being stripped of her title, saying that she 'felt like I was not able to be an American' and that 'it's your First Amendment right to express yourself'.
The 27-year-old has claimed that she possesses 'audio recordings' which prove that she was discriminated against over her religious and political views.
A Blaize Productions is the executive producer and state license holder for Miss USA pageants held in North Carolina.
In a statement, a spokesperson for A Blaize Productions said: "Ms Boltinhouse was not removed because of her political affiliation, religious beliefs or the exercise of those beliefs.
"Contestants and titleholders are not prohibited from holding or expressing personal political or religious beliefs."
It added: "Our agreements do, however, establish standards regarding conduct, decorum, representations made to the organization and the responsibilities associated with representing the Miss North Carolina USA title.
"Following her crowning, previously undisclosed information and publicly available material were brought to our attention.
"The organization reviewed that information, communicated directly with Ms Boltinhouse, and consulted with the national organization. The decision was ultimately based on the totality of the circumstances, including conduct and material that the organization determined was inconsistent with the standards and responsibilities associated with serving as Miss North Carolina USA.
"This was not a determination about whether Ms Boltinhouse was entitled to hold particular political or religious beliefs. She was, and remains, entitled to those beliefs."
Topics: US News, Racism, North Carolina
Kit Roberts