Dethroned Miss North Carolina USA threatens legal action over title removal

Beauty queen Brittany Boltinhouse, who was crowned Miss North Carolina USA in June, faces dethronement and is now threatening legal action against pageant organizers. Her attorney, Patrick Mincey, described the removal of her title as "wrongful and unjustified" and a "troubling example of cancel culture."

“

wrongful and unjustified

Pageant officials stated that Boltinhouse, 27, violated Miss USA standards "over an extended period of time." While not specifying the exact violations, reports from NCBeat indicated that resurfaced social media posts from 2017-2019 showed her using the N-word. Thom Brodeur, president and CEO of Miss USA, emphasized the organization's zero tolerance for racism, homophobia, transphobia, and undignified language.

“

another troubling example of cancel culture

Mincey, however, asserted that his client was "targeted because of her Christian faith and her conservative political views." He claimed to have evidence from pageant officials acknowledging no "legitimate or legal basis" for the decision. Boltinhouse, who would have been the third Latina and first Honduran woman to represent North Carolina at Miss USA, is described by Mincey as embodying "the very best of the American dream."

“

was not made lightly. It followed a thorough review of recently surfaced information and was based on the totality of the circumstances and our responsibility to preserve the integrity of the Miss North Carolina USA title and the values of our organization.

Boltinhouse herself told the Carolina Journal that she believes her political stance and conservative Christian beliefs led to her dethronement. "I’m proud of my faith, I’m proud of my standards, I’m a proud conservative woman, but Christian woman, a God-fearing woman," she stated. She also noted that while "every teenager has made a mistake," she is the woman she is today and won the title fairly.

“

does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia, nor language that strips any person of their dignity – whoever they are