The Miss USA Pageant is confirming reports that Miss Pennsylvania has officially resigned as her states representative.
Citing claims that the entire pageant is rigged, Pennsylvania’s Sheena Monnin has released multiple posts on her Facebook Monday stating that she is stepping down and will no longer participate in the contest.
“In my heart I believe in honesty, fair play, a fair opportunity, and high moral integrity, none of which in my opinion are part of this pageant system any longer,” Monnin wrote in one of her Facebook posts.
In another Facebook post by Monnin, the Pennsylvania representative claims that another contestant saw a list of the top 5 finalists on Sunday, hours before the show was even set to begin.
Denying the accusation, Pageant officials confirm that Miss Pennsylvania has indeed stepped down, however they are insisting that Monnin’s resignation has to do with the fact that they are allowing the participation of transgender contestants in the competition, not that the Pageant is rigged.
Citing emails and texts from Monnin, officials say that her issue is that natural born males should not be allowed to compete and that it is unfair to allow them to do so.
Writing to Randy Sanders, director of the Miss Pennsylvania USA pageant, Monnin says “I am officially and irrevocably resigning the title of Miss Pennsylvania USA 2012. I refuse to be part of a pageant system that has so far and so completely removed itself from its foundational principles as to allow and support natural born males to compete in it,” the email reads.
“This goes against every moral fiber of my being.”
Monnin, of Cranberry, did not immediately respond to a Facebook message from The Associated Press .