Read the statement from the Miss Massachusetts contestant who gave up her crown after a #MeToo joke

In 2015, when Hingham native Maude Gorman represented Massachusetts at the Miss World America pageant in Washington, D.C., she spoke openly onstage about being raped eight years earlier, when she was 13 years old, by three men as she left a playground.

“I think society blames victims,” Gorman told The Boston Globe later in 2015, after taking first place in the pageant’s “Beauty with a Purpose” presentation for her speech. “I’m trying to remove that blame. My goal is to be that light at the end of the tunnel for those who feel stuck in the darkness.”

Gorman, now 24, participated in the Miss Massachusetts finals in Worcester on June 30 as the winner of Miss Plymouth County. However, she announced in a statement posted on her Instagram Thursday that she had officially resigned from her title in part because of a joke about the #MeToo movement made during the event finals.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk2yHcBF737

A video from the event obtained by Observer shows a comedy sketch that makes light of the Miss America Organization’s recent announcement that it would be removing the swimsuit competition from future pageants.

“Miss America did away with the swimsuit competition,” a woman says in the video. “We may have very well seen the last-ever swimsuit competition on stage. It’s very upsetting and I’m trying to understand, God, why it happened.”

“Me too, Amy,” replies a person playing God, who then holds up a “#MeToo” sign as the crowd laughs and cheers.

The Massachusetts chapter of the Miss America Organization apologized for the sketch in a July 3 Facebook post, writing that the joke had not been authorized by its board and that it would review all content for potential offensiveness in the future.

https://www.facebook.com/MissMassMAO/posts/10156456862855349

Gorman said in her statement that her decision to relinquish her title was a result both of the joke made onstage and of bullying she faced backstage from people who did not believe her story about being a victim of sexual assault.

“As both a survivor, and advocate for victims rights and sexual violence on a whole, I refuse to stand idly by and simply ‘let this go,'” Gorman wrote in her Thursday Instagram caption. “Instead, I will stand up for every individual who has ever had the courage to speak out; and for every person who felt liberated by the #metoo movement. I will not allow ANYONE to take away that empowerment and liberation, or make it anything less than what it is: AMAZING.”

As the story began to spread, Miss Massachusetts MAO issued a second statement on its Facebook page on Monday. The post, signed by one of the sketch’s participants, Rich Alegretto, attempts to explain the context of the offending sketch.

“First and most importantly, our sincere apologies to those who drew any parallels between a joke about the swimsuit competition and sexual assault,” the post reads. “The skit was meant as a satirical poke at those who are upset that swimsuit is going away. It was intended to be a nod to the #MeToo movement, not a knock on it.

“As a male survivor of sexual assault, it was never my intention to insult or malign a movement that has done so much good for so many of us,” the post continued. “Heartfelt apologies to everyone who thought the joke went too far and was hurt by it.”

https://www.facebook.com/MissMassMAO/posts/10156471032340349

Read Gorman’s full statement from her Thursday Instagram post below:

I hereby resign the title of Miss Plymouth County 2018.

Following the bullying that took place backstage about being a survivor, coupled with the #metoo skit that took place on Saturday night, I no longer wish to represent this title. I entrust the duties will better be represented with my 1st runner up.

One sole reason I came back to MAO was because I was lonely in life, and I really wanted to make some new friends. While I’m lucky to have made a few, I’m disheartened by the cruel nature of several of the other titleholders backstage; whom took it upon themselves to discuss that my “story was fake”.

While I know these values do not reflect the Miss America Organization, it is enough to leave me wanting to respectfully resign from the title and walk away.

I thank you for the positive memories MAO has brought into my life, and the new friendships formed. I look forward to seeing the future of the Miss America organization.