ORANGE – A Chapman University senior became the first transgender contestant in the university’s annual all-woman pageant Wednesday night, winning the title of Miss Congeniality.

Addie Vincent, 21, faced off against 15 other competitors for the title of Miss Delta Queen, a competition organized by the university’s Greek system. The pageant’s winner was Alexandria Kessinger.

“Tonight was so awesome,” Vincent said after the pageant. “The fact that I was just able to compete was so amazing on its own.”

Throughout the contest, many of the 500 students and audience members whooped and hollered every time Vincent took the stage at Memorial Hall.

For the talent competition, Vincent recited an original poem called “The Look,” which chronicled the stares and stereotypes transgender individuals experience daily. In the poem, Vincent encouraged compassion and understanding for those who don’t fit traditional gender roles.

Following the poem, students shouted, “We love you Addie!” and gave Vincent the night’s only standing ovation.

“Addie has inspired so many people,” said Lauren Chouinard, a friend and former pageant contestant. “Addie sent a message so many people needed to hear.”

Each contestant was nominated by a campus fraternity or sorority. The Alpha Delta Phi fraternity chose Vincent with a 20-0 vote, with fraternity members saying they nominated the senior to show support for the transgender community.

Vincent said the Chapman students overwhelmingly supported the transgender student’s inclusion in the contest, started in 2008 by the Delta Tau Delta fraternity as a fundraiser for the Beckstrand Cancer Association.

Vincent, who grew up in a Detroit suburb, was born as a male. The student came out as gay as a freshman at Chapman, and began as a sophomore wearing makeup, dressing in gowns, putting on high heels and donning other feminine clothing.

The student, who is working to create Chapman’s first gender-neutral “frarority,” said a goal for participation in the pageant was to bring awareness to “trans visibility.”

Last year, Marina High student Cassidy Lynn Campbell became Orange County’s first openly transgender homecoming queen.

Contact the writer: 714-704-3773 or fleal@ocregister.com

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