Is the Miss America Organization guilty of age discrimination?
That's the question some are asking after Miss Delaware, Amanda Longacre, 24, was stripped from her state-level title earlier this month for being too old. According to USA Today, pageant organizers are claiming that Longacre's age violated a clause in Miss American competition rules.
The Miss America Organization website stated that contestants must be 17 to 24 years old, and Longacre was set to turn 25 in October - a month after the Miss America competition began.
"Following the Miss Delaware Pageant, it was determined that Amanda Longacre exceeded the age requirement in order to be eligible to compete. Therefore, the Miss Delaware 2014 title is awarded to Brittany Lewis," announced the Miss America Organization on Thursday. "The Miss Delaware Pageant is proud to congratulate Brittany and wishes Amanda the very best on her future endeavors."
The title transitioned to first runner-up, Brittany Lewis, who is also 24 years old. The Miss America Organization held a brief ceremony at the Dover Downs Hotel Casino Thursday to honor Lewis with her new title.
Longacre, who won the title on June 14, was notified on Tuesday of the change, which will also keep her from competing for the title of Miss America, and force her to forfeit the $11,000 scholarship.
"I am so, like, really upset," Longacre said Friday on NBC TODAY. "I just found out on Tuesday that I was stripped of my crown and over an age clause that clearly the board of my state didn't even know about. It's like they're trying to erase me in a way, like it never happened, and it's not fair because I won outright and I deserve to represent my state. I want this chance still to go to Miss America."
Longacre said she presented proof of her age during the pageant application process by turning in copies of her birth certificate, driver's license and Social Security card.
In an interview with the Wilmington News Journal, Longacre said, "It was verified with a director that I was eligible to compete, as long as I was 24 at the Miss America pageant. I competed on the local and state level and even signed my national contract. It was notarized and no one said anything to me."
She added: "I'm just really heartbroken. I'm being treated as if I did something morally and ethically wrong. They are making me forfeit everything. It's really humiliating because I did nothing wrong."
