The contestant, now 23, made the decision to come out when she was 18. "My family was absolutely nothing but supportive, and I knew that when I decided to come out and when I was ready, it would be that way," O'Flaherty told USA Today. "So my coming out was actually much easier than millions of people."The Miss America contestant graduated from the University of Central Florida, where she first became involved in the world of pageants, as Cosmopolitan reports. This weekend, she'll be performing a musical number from Wonderland for the talent portion of the competition, but that's not her only special skill. Growing up on a farm, she also became familiar with barnyard animals — she's a trained livestock judge.You can see O'Flaherty's historical appearance in this year's competition on September 11 on ABC.