Isabelle St. Cyr will be the first openly transgender woman to compete in the Miss Maine USA beauty pageant.

St. Cyr, who is 24 years old and was born in Howland, Maine, will compete in her first pageant next month at Miss Maine USA in Portland, according to Bangor Daily News.

St. Cyr’s entry into the pageant comes at a time when president Donald Trump is targeting trans people across the USA; most recently, he compared the supporters of trans youth to child abusers in a proclamation.

Speaking to the publication, St. Cyr emphasised that she did not sign up for the pageant in response to Trump’s administration, saying, “I’m just doing it because I love pageants and I just happen to be trans. I want to show everyone that trans women absolutely can do this pageant and can do well.”

The Miss Maine USA entrant also explained that there is a misconception over how welcoming the pageant world is; “I think there’s a lack of education surrounding the pageant and how welcoming they truly are now,” she said.

“They’ve opened up and changed the organization for the better, which is why I feel so proud to be with this organization rather than some others that maybe aren’t so open and welcoming to all women.”

Miss Maine USA runs under the Miss Universe Organisation, which changed its rules in 2012 to all trans women to compete.