AudioOhio Queen Becomes an Instant Legend with Historic National Pageant Win

History was made recently when Zhané Dawlings Wiley was crowned Miss Continental 2024.

Established in 1980, the Miss Continental pageant has become the fiercest, most coveted, and most competitive pageant system in the world over the years.

In winning the crown, Zhane became the first Black trans woman and the first Ohioan to win this legendary and historic pageant. Even more remarkable, she won on her very first try, something just plain unheard of for Miss Continental.

To learn more about this win and what it means, The Buckeye Flame spoke with Zhané. Click play directly below to listen to our interview or read our edited conversation underneath.

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First, congratulations!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

How are you feeling a couple weeks later? Is it still just as exciting?

Absolutely. Honestly, I still wake up and like process the fact that there’s things that I still need to do. And I’m just like, “Okay, you have work to do, but like, this is crazy.”

What has it been like seeing congratulations pour in from all over the world?

It literally took me just up to about a few days ago to get through the entirety of all of the congratulatory posts. I definitely feel like my whole soul is just so full. By no means did I think that many people would even just be touched or reached on such a platform, you know? So it’s really just been absolutely amazing.

Let’s talk about the costs associated with competing because I don’t think everyone fully understands what goes into this. How much goes into creating these outfits, how much time and energy and I would imagine some finances go into competing.

The most expensive garment that really took the most amount of time was my evening gown, which has the nickname of Onyx. That gown actually started from going to Mood in New York City and seeing the fabric on the shelf.

And I was like, “At some point in time in my life, I know I want to use this and create something absolutely beautiful.” So I had reached out to a designer who was very on board with what the idea was, that we were definitely putting in both a collaborative effort to piece this together.

This fantasy that eventually ended up being Onyx, but within the duration of her time, you know, there ended up being a timeframe where I had to eventually take over the project because I told myself that if I don’t complete this—which I look at as being something like a battle gown—then I would never be able to step on a national stage and present the way I want to.

So that gown actually I would say probably was the most expensive part of my, of my package. It took a lot of patience. It took a lot of learning as well.

You know, my presentation gown I made myself and it was a beautiful silver and white beaded fringe garment that I literally was beading up until the night before the pageant. I was literally in my AirBNB, still working on stuff hours before going to rehearsal.

How much investment of emotions did this all take out of you?

It definitely was a journey to get to this point as far as me and my personal growth. I was able to successfully complete my [gender] transition. And within that [process], I was able to find a lot of peace and sanctuary within my vessel and the person that I am.

I knew that coming on to a national and international stage, that there was going to be a lot of potential backlash from certain things that a lot of people don’t necessarily view as being the beauty queen perspective. And so with that, I told myself that I’m going to have to definitely build a tough skin and understand that certain things that I see—online or sometimes in person—I have to just take it for what it is, allow for it to be what it is and move on.

What does this win mean for Ohio?

I think this means absolutely everything. I join a great line of absolutely amazing national representatives that came from Ohio, such as Nina West, a former National Entertainer of the Year, Miss Mari Jane, former Miss Gay USA Newcomer and of course, our home native Deva Station, who is a former Miss Gay America.

To join this league of entertainers who are either Columbus-based or from the Columbus area really just kind of puts Ohio and Columbus back on the map. Really nobody else in our community has really even decided to take on the prospect of even going down that line [of Miss Continental].

Continental is a very specific orientation of individual. Like they say, “You become Continental before you are Continental.” And I definitely feel that in my journey to get to this point. There have been a substantial amount of ups and downs, but overall, I’ve definitely battled them head-on and. I have made sure that everything that I did and everything that I showcased on that stage was really true to my heart and true to me as a person so that win, lose or draw, I could walk away still feeling like I did what I wanted to do, how I wanted to do it, and in the timeframe of when I wanted to do it in.

Talk about what this win means for the black trans community.

I think it means that we now have a visible representative who is able to speak on a platform that allows for girls like myself to be held at a higher esteem.

As somebody who is a part of that community, I have already been messaged, reached out to, been introduced to, and introduced myself to prospective contestants who have literally told me that they have never even thought about stepping on a national stage.

Because of seeing a representative like myself and seeing the way I did it and knowing that I am a part of that one-and-done club [winning on the first attempt], it kind of like brought them a new light and a new perspective on what it is to be Continental.

Let’s talk about that future. What’s next for you?

Well, I definitely want to enjoy my reign as Miss Continental and I want to make sure I soak up every single opportunity that comes my way. But I definitely know that I have deep aspirations to go into film and television. Having a major theater background, I am a major, major, major advocate for the arts and entertainment.

So [I want to be able to do] theater, singing, dancing and acting…the things that I really hold near and dear to my heart. I wanna go for that EGOT [laughs]. I want, I want my EGOT. That’s what’s what.

Last question for you, give us some advice for those little LGBTQ+ Ohioans who are looking for some inspiration, particularly in this state where it can be a bit of a struggle to be out and LGBTQ+. What is that patented advice that you have with that crown on your head?

First and foremost, find a tribe. Find a group of people who you know that you can believe in, who you know have your back, who you know will tell you right from wrong, and who you know will be able to give you the realism of what’s going on in everyday life.

Secondly, make sure to find safe space. You know, you have places like Kaleidoscope [Youth Center], you have places like Central Outreach [Wellness Center], and you have people like myself. I know that when you find somebody in a safe space who is able to understand where you’re coming from and give you a little bit of history on the environment that you’re coming up in, that will definitely help you to understand where it is you can find yourself in that area.

And last but most certainly not least, remember to be yourself. You know, there are so many people in this world who do not even get the opportunity to live the life that they want to live. There are people in this world who can’t even speak. There are people in this world who can’t hear. There are people in this world who can’t walk. There are people in this world who have so many things that have naturally been put against them.

Remember to be yourself. Remember to stand in what makes you who you are.

And always remember to love yourself. You know, I don’t ever want to say a quote that somebody else has already said because we all know the very infamous quote. Just remember to always love yourself and know that whatever you’re doing, you and only you can do what’s right. Only you can do what’s right. 🔥

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• Most definitely follow Zhané Dawlings Wiley on Instagram.