NEW YORK (AP) — A New York woman is challenging the longstanding rules of Miss America and Miss World that disqualify mothers from their beauty pageants.
Danielle Hazel said Monday that she’s always dreamed of entering the competitions but was devastated to learn that she’s no longer eligible because she had a son when she was just 19 years old.
“When I told Zion, who is now 6 years old, about these rules he had an immediate gut reaction: he said that these rules are stupid,” she said, speaking at the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument in New York’s Central Park. “His sense of fairness at only 6 years old tells him that this is unjust and makes no sense.”
Hazel’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, said a complaint sent Monday to the city’s Commission on Human Rights seeks an end to the requirements because they deny and exclude mothers from an “important business and cultural opportunity” simply because of their status as parents.
“As we stated in Danielle‘s filed complaint, this exclusion is degrading to Danielle as it is based upon the antiquated stereotype that women cannot be both a mother and be beautiful, poised, passionate, talented and philanthropic,” Allred said.
Spokespersons for the Miss America and Miss World pageant organizations didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment Monday. A spokesperson for the human rights commission said the agency does not comment on open investigations.
Allred noted that she previously had success challenging a similar rule for a California mother denied eligibility to compete in the Miss California pageant, which is part of the Miss Universe and Miss USA organizations.
The discrimination complaint filed by Andrea Quiroga with the California Civil Rights Department prompted Miss Universe to eliminate its 70-year-old rule, which was imposed worldwide through its affiliated organizations, Allred said.
“Being pregnant or being a parent is not a crime and should not exclude an individual from employment or business opportunities,” Allred said. “An individual’s status as a parent should not carry a stigma and no person should have to feel embarrassed, humiliated, or degraded because they have become a parent.”
The two women were joined Monday by Veronika Didusenko, who was crowned Miss Ukraine 2018 only to have the title stripped when the Miss World organization learned that she had a child.
Didusenko, who has since created an organization advocating for an end to beauty pageant bans on mothers, said she lost her legal challenge in Ukraine but is seeking relief from the European Court of Human Rights.
Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.
Danielle Hazel, left, speaks during a news conference accompanied by her attorney Gloria Allred, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Joe Frederick)
Flanked by Veronika Didusenko, left, and Danielle Hazel, right, attorney Gloria Allred, center, speaks during a news conference Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Joe Frederick)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Stanley Cup is still making its championship tour of South Florida. It was on a basketball court with the Miami Heat this week, is going somewhere else on Thursday and there’s a few more appearances to make after that. So, in some respects, the party that comes with winning the NHL title is still going strong.
That is, except at the Florida Panthers’ practice facility. The champs are back to work.
Florida opens training camp on Thursday and coach Paul Maurice is making this much clear: It’s time to start building for the next title run, not time to keep reveling in the title run that was completed in June.
“There are going to be, and rightfully so, some backward-looking things. We’ll deal with the banner raisings, ring ceremonies, all those good things you get to enjoy,” Maurice said Wednesday as the team gathered for its annual media day. “But we’ll be very sure that our day is completely focused on what we’re doing, not living in the past.”
Evidently, that message is already getting through.
Players have been back in South Florida for at least a couple weeks, for the most part. And Maurice said the returning Panthers all came back in better shape than they were at this time last season, as proven by the pre-camp conditioning tests. The real test comes Thursday with the first practices, and Maurice’s training-camp sessions are notoriously tough.
“The hangover concept, we won’t believe in it,” Maurice said. “It’s certainly not a physical issue with us. We’re stronger than we were last year at this time and that’s a credit to them because they certainly couldn’t have made improvements without spending the time to do it.”
Florida has its top eight scorers — Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, Evan Rodrigues, Gustav Forsling and Anton Lundell — all back from last season. Verhaeghe and Reinhart had the goals in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final when Florida held off Edmonton 2-1 to win its first title and avoid what would have been an epic collapse after winning the first three games of that series, and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky returns to begin his sixth year as the Panthers’ go-to guy in net.
There are some roster spots up for grabs, but the core from the title run returns largely intact. And even though the Cup has now been won, capping a lifelong quest for Maurice and the players, there’s a slew of motivation to try to win it again.
“At the end of the day, I love what I do,” Bobrovsky said. “It’s a blessing for me to be here today and I’m excited for compete for the dream again. And yet, you know, it doesn’t really matter what happened in the past. I only care about the moment in my hands right now, and that’s this moment.”
Things will start happening quickly. Practices start Thursday and Florida plays its first two preseason games Sunday — the annual doubleheader against Nashville, where most if not all the 50 or so available players in camp will get some game action.
The Cup banner goes up on Oct. 8 when Florida plays host to Boston and opens the regular season. And with that, the 82-game grind will be off and running. But Maurice insists that he’s not skipping any steps, not even thinking about opening night yet or anything between now and then.
“I’m not ready for anything but Day 1. I don’t want to think about Day 2,” Maurice said. “You can’t win the Stanley Cup on September 19th, the first day of practice. But you can start the process giving yourself a chance. This will be what Day 1 on the ice is. You have to be respectful of exactly how hard it was and do the work and pay the price just to give yourself a chance.”
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Florida Panthers goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky speaks during NHL hockey media day, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
FILE -Fans wait in line to watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, at a watch party at Amerant Bank Arena, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, FiIe)
Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice speaks during NHL hockey media day, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
