WATCH: Miss North Carolina USA Says Conservative Christian Beliefs Cost Her Crown
Brittany Boltinhouse, the former Miss North Carolina USA, is speaking publicly after losing her crown amid controversy over posts from an alleged old X account.
Boltinhouse, 27, is from Beulaville. She won the title in Spartanburg, South Carolina, last month and made history as the first person of Honduran descent to win Miss North Carolina USA.
That victory was short-lived. Posts later resurfaced that appeared to show repeated use of the N-word. The Miss USA Organization responded by announcing that Boltinhouse had been stripped of her title.
Chairman Thom Brodeur referenced the posts while announcing the decision. He said the Miss USA Organization “does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia, nor language that strips any person of their dignity.”
In an exclusive interview with the Carolina Journal on Friday, Boltinhouse addressed the controversy. She also noted that a confidentiality clause limits what she can discuss.
“Every teenager has made a mistake — things may have happened decades ago, but I’m here to talk about the hardworking woman standing up there as Miss NC USA that I won fair and square,” she said.
Boltinhouse said she was “glad” the situation happened to her instead of another young woman who might not have been able to handle the scrutiny. She said her family has supported her throughout the ordeal.
“I’m very much at peace, and I’m actually glad it happened to me and not some other young lady that, you know, maybe just probably wouldn’t make it through what I’m going through right now,” Boltinhouse said. “The scrutiny, my family is behind it as well.”
“But I will say that I’m very much at peace and I see the light at the end of the tunnel and I know who I am and I know what I can become,” she continued.
Boltainhouse disputes the idea that the resurfaced posts tell the whole story. She believes they were used as an excuse, while her political views and religious convictions were the real reason she was targeted.
“I believe and think I was stripped of my title because of my political stance and my belief system as a conservative Christian woman,” she said.
She also spoke openly about her faith and described herself as a conservative Christian woman who is proud of her standards. Boltinhouse said she is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that her Mormon faith is an important part of her identity.
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Boltinhouse ended the interview by saying she forgives the Miss USA Organization. She also encouraged other women to speak up and stand by their beliefs.
“Hopefully, see me as an example,” she said. “To always stand for what you believe, no matter what, no matter where, no matter what you do.”