The newly crowned Miss Utah 2020, Rachel Slawson, will be competing in the Miss USA pageant as the first openly bisexual candidate later this year.

The beauty queen came out in 2019 and frequently takes to Instagram to post intimate information describing her struggles with mental health and the pressures of pageantry competition.

Speaking to Yahoo, GLAAD Head of Talent Anthony Ramos said Slawson’s win was called “a huge win for LGBTQ visibility,” and continued to say that “Rachel’s presence on the Miss USA stage later this year will most definitely send a powerful message to LGBTQ Americans and Utahns, especially those in the bisexual+ community, who feel like they have not seen themselves represented in that space before.”

A large part of Slawson’s platform — in life and on social media — is to promote her advocacy work for all members of the LGBTQ+ community. NBC cites her saying that “All I ever wanted is to save 15-year-old me's from the pain and struggle that I dealt with.”

A part of this is dismantling social media to showcase glimpses into real life. In a post dated October 2019, she discusses the emotional fluctuations she endures, not only in her mind, but as a homeless young woman.

This victory for the LGBTQ+ team comes as Utah banned gay conversion therapy on Jan. 22. It is the 19th state to ban this practice, reportedly with help from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who have many practicing members in the state legislature.

Slawson will compete for the 69th Miss USA title in the spring of 2020. The current titleholder is Cheslie Kryst of North Carolina. In 2016, Miss Missouri Erin O’Flaherty helped break barriers for Slawson as the first openly lesbian contestant competing for the Miss USA crown.