{"slug":"trump-miss-universe-miss-teen-usa-misconduct","title":"Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA: Documented Sexual Misconduct and Dressing Room Violations","date":"1992-01-01","lastUpdated":"2016-10-12","description":"Trump owned the Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA pageants from 1996 to 2015. Multiple contestants — including minors competing in Miss Teen USA — described Trump entering their dressing rooms while they were undressing. Trump himself bragged on the Howard Stern show about walking in on contestants, saying he could 'get away with things' because he owned the pageant. At least four Miss Teen USA contestants who were minors at the time corroborated accounts of Trump entering their changing area.","summary":"Trump bragged on the Howard Stern show that he would 'go backstage' before shows and that contestants 'are standing there with no clothes' — and that 'I'm allowed to go in because I'm the owner of the pageant.' Multiple former Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA contestants confirmed the behavior; for the teen pageant, the contestants were as young as 15. Trump's ownership gave him structural access that contestants could not refuse without losing their competition standing.","category":"civil-rights","severity":"critical","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/dominicholden/miss-teen-usa-contestants-say-trump-walked-in-on-them","title":"Four Miss Teen USA Contestants Say Trump Walked In On Them Changing","publisher":"BuzzFeed News"},{"url":"https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-naked-contestants_n_581a87f4e4b0a3d2e4852abb","title":"Trump's history of walking in on contestants","publisher":"HuffPost"},{"url":"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/12/miss-teen-usa-trump-dressing-room","title":"Miss Teen USA contestants allege Trump walked into dressing room","publisher":"The Guardian"},{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/13/us/politics/trump-miss-universe-dressing-room.html","title":"Trump Bragged He Could Enter Dressing Rooms","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/donald-trump-on-ogling-half-naked-women-and-girls-at-beauty-pageants-117464/","title":"Trump on Ogling Women at Beauty Pageants","publisher":"Rolling Stone"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["sexual-misconduct","Miss-Universe","Miss-Teen-USA","minors","pre-presidency","dressing-room","women"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"1992-01-01","title":"Early pageant involvement","summary":"Trump develops a pattern of attending backstage at beauty pageants over several years before his purchase of Miss Universe Organization."},{"date":"1996-01-01","title":"Trump purchases Miss Universe Organization","summary":"Trump purchases the Miss Universe Organization, which owns the Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA pageants. Ownership gives him structural backstage access and final authority over contestants' competition standing."},{"date":"1997-01-01","title":"Miss Teen USA — contestant confirms dressing room entry","summary":"Former Miss Teen USA 1997 contestant Mariah Billado later confirms that Trump walked into the dressing room while contestants were changing: 'I remember putting on my dress really quick because I was like, oh my god, there's a man in here.'"},{"date":"2005-01-01","title":"Trump brags to Howard Stern about pageant access","summary":"In a recorded conversation with Howard Stern, Trump describes walking backstage where contestants are undressing, saying 'I'm allowed to go in because I'm the owner of the pageant' and 'I sort of get away with things like that.' The conversation is recorded but not published until 2016."},{"date":"2015-01-01","title":"NBC severs ties; Trump sells pageant","summary":"Following Trump's remarks about Mexican immigrants being 'rapists,' NBC severs its broadcast partnership with Miss Universe. Trump subsequently sells the organization."},{"date":"2016-10-12","title":"BuzzFeed publishes accounts of four Miss Teen USA contestants","summary":"BuzzFeed News publishes accounts from four Miss Teen USA contestants — some as young as 15 at the time — confirming Trump walked into their changing area. The story is published the week of the Access Hollywood tape publication."}],"location":{"name":"Various pageant venues, United States","lat":40.7128,"lng":-74.006},"custom":{"era":"pre-presidency","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"potential","internationalLaw":[{"statute":"Convention on the Rights of the Child","article":"Article 34","provision":"States shall protect children from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse"},{"statute":"Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women","article":"Article 2","provision":"States shall ensure protection from sexual abuse and ensure accountability for sexual violence, including by powerful figures who exploit structural power"}],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Adult Miss Universe contestants and minor Miss Teen USA contestants (ages 15-18) who were entered without consent while changing; contestants who faced structural power imbalance as Trump owned the pageant","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"Owner of Miss Universe Organization (1996-2015)","institution":"Miss Universe Organization"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2016-10-12","summary":"Updated with BuzzFeed investigation publishing contestant accounts."}]}}