1st trans woman to compete in Miss Maine pageant plans to try again
By Ethan Andrews, Bangor Daily News Staff
Isabelle St. Cyr of Monson, who last year became the first transgender woman to compete in the Miss Maine USA pageant, is preparing to return to the stage at this year’s event.
St. Cyr, who is originally from Howland, told the BDN last year that she loved watching the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and dreamed of competing one day. At that time, she said she felt confident enough with her transition to sign up.
PAGEANT RETURN — Isabelle St. Cyr, who became the first trans woman to compete in the Miss Maine pageant in 2025, is planning to return to the competition this year.
Her first try came at a time when the Trump administration was punishing Maine for allowing transgender girls to compete in girls’ sports, a campaign continued in a citizen initiative referendum slated for this year’s November ballot but facing challenges. St. Cyr said she registered for the 2025 pageant long before President Donald Trump began his second term and didn’t enter the competition to make a political statement.
“I’m just doing it because I love pageants and I just happen to be trans,” St. Cyr said at the time. “I want to show everyone that trans women absolutely can do this pageant and can do well.”
The 2025 Miss Maine USA title went to Shelby Howell, whose few connections to the state suggested she may have been engaging in a popular practice known as “state hopping” in which contestants from large states move to a smaller state shortly before a competition to gain a statistical advantage.
Howell shared a promotional message about the 2026 competition on her Instagram page but did not indicate whether she plans to compete again.
St. Cyr, in a GoFundMe message announcing her 2026 run, acknowledged the “milestone” of last year’s pageant, saying her participation “was about more than a personal dream; it was about opening doors, inclusion, and proving that every Maine woman deserves to have her voice heard.”
“I am more prepared and more motivated than ever to bring the crown home to a community that has shaped me,” St. Cyr said. “I am so ready to show all of you my growth not only as a contestant but as a woman.”
BDN writer Kathleen O’Brien contributed reporting.