Here She Comes…

This is a tale of two countries and beauty contests. The first one is a beauty contest in Panama.

Panama allows transgender women to compete in beauty pageant
The organizers said that transgender women who "have completed all their legal and medical procedures" can take part in the pageant from this year. The winner will represent Panama at the Miss Universe pageant.
DW
March 3, 2021


The organizers of Panama's national beauty contest announced this week that transgender women who "have completed all their legal and medical procedures" can take part in its competition from this year.

"Miss Panama will permit women officially legally recognized in the country," said Señorita Panama. "Guaranteed to be an inclusive organization, we approved this decision based on strict legal guidelines and according to previous international agreements," the organization added.

The Señorita Panama pageant sends a contestant from Panama each year to the international Miss Universe competition.

Meanwhile here in the states, bigotry rules…

Conservative Judge Allows Beauty Pageant to Ban Trans Contestants
The Advocate
By Neal Broverman
March 1, 2021


A federal judge in Oregon has quashed a suit brought by Anita Noelle Green that challenged the Miss United States of America's policy of excluding transgender contestants.
[...]
Green, Oregon's first trans delegate at a Democratic National Convention, sued the organization for gender discrimination; Oregon law bans discrimination based on gender identity. What appeared like a cut-and-dried case of bias — numerous pageants, including the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants (separate entities from Miss United States of America) pageants allow trans women to compete — was rejected by Judge Michael W. Mosman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. Mosman, a member of the anti-LGBTQ+ Mormon Church and appointed to the federal bench of President George W. Bush — ruled Miss United States of America had a right to ban trans contestants on First Amendment grounds that protect free speech.

In the Court House News they reported that she had a long history of competing in pageants,

She started participating in pageants in 2017, becoming the third transgender woman to compete since Miss Universe, the umbrella organization for the Miss Montana pageant Green competed in, ended its ban on the participation of transgender women in 2012. Green went on to participate in other pageants, and in 2018 became Miss Earth USA Elite Oregon.

Then Green applied to compete in Miss United States of America’s 2019 Oregon pageant, even though she knew it refused to allow transgender women to participate. The organization is separate and distinct from the Miss America pageant.
[…]
But U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman sided with the pageant organization on Thursday, based on First Amendment concerns. Ruling from the bench, Mosman found that the pageant is an “expressive” organization, rather than a commercial one. Therefore, Mosman found, Miss United States of America has a First Amendment right to its “message” and can’t be required to change it.

Okay I have a question for the judge…

You said that “Therefore, Mosman found, Miss United States of America has a First Amendment right to its “message” and can’t be required to change it.” does that mean that they have First Amendment protection if they refused to allow blacks to compete? What about if they said that they didn’t want any Jews or Muslims to compete, would they still be protected by the First Amendment right to free speech? What about lesbians will they be blocked from participating in the pageant? Or does it just apply to us? And it that discriminatory and a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment?

I wonder if the judge let his religious beliefs interfere with the law?