Maria Walsh Comes Out: Miss Spain Instagram Admission Paves Way For Another Beauty Pageant Participant's Declaration [VIDEO]
Earlier this week former Miss Spain Patricia Yurena Rodriguez came out as gay on Instagram via an intimate pic of her and girlfriend DJ Vanessa Cortes.
The positive publicity and support Rodriguez garnered over the past few days helped another beauty pageant come out: Rose of Tralee winner Maria Walsh.
"I'm not ashamed of my sexuality by any means," Walsh told the Irish Sun on Aug. 24. "The Rose of Tralee is about celebrating women's intelligence, careers and their volunteer work. The question of sexuality just never came up. To me, being gay is normal; it's natural."
Walsh, a native Bostonian who grew up in County Mayo, Ireland, said she's been openly gay for many years. Fans of the pageant are hoping her public coming out will help modernize the competition, which Irish critics say is very "twee," or outdated.
In fact, the Rose of Tralee Twitter page acknowledged Walsh's coming out, tweeting on Aug. 24, "We are delighted Maria is our #RoseofTralee. She is a wonderful, attractive, intelligent woman who happens to be gay."
In the past week, two beauty pageant winners have come out of the closet, both to a spectacular array of affection and support. So the question stands: Will these two circumstances affect pageant contestants in the future? Will young competitors more openly come out, or will it remain taboo? What are your thoughts?
A recent video of Miss Spain regarding the news of her coming out can be viewed below.