Back in August, we told you about the coolest Miss America contender ever, Miss New York, Claire Buffie. What makes her so darn cool? To jog your memory, the Indianapolis native is the first contestant to run on a gay rights platform in the history of the 90-year-old Miss America pageant. Pretty cool, huh? The sister of an out lesbian, Buffie knows her platform will stir controversy, but she hopes it will incite dialogue and, ultimately, political and social change. Unlike the anti-gay, pro-opposite marriage platform of Miss California 2009, Carrie Prejean, and the less-than-articulate Miss Teen South Carolina, Caitlin Upton, Buffie actually has a relevant, eloquent voice and is quite the nice change from the usual. By advocating for social justice, she hopes to be “relatable” and bring a “relevant voice” to the pageant.
Whether or not you’re thrilled about pageants, crowning a Miss America who is a vocal supporter of LGBT rights would be great progress. Furthermore, you can’t help but think of our favorite Vampire Slayer, which works tremendously well in Miss New York’s favor.
Now is your chance to exercise the one right you can be sure won’t be taken away from you and vote for Claire Buffie for Miss America by texting or “liking” her with all your might. Four finalists will be chosen using the voting results. Let’s hand Miss New York that sash and crown. The 2011 Miss America pageant airs live in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 15 and voting closes 11:59PM PST on January 13. It promises to be a night of world peace, animal shelters, and gay rights, if Buffie has enough votes. Looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us.
