transgender in miss universe essay

I only had 3 weeks to prepare for Miss Universe, but made history as the first trans woman to place in the top 20

• Marina Machete is the first transgender woman to place at Miss Universe. 
• Miss Portugal changed its rules in 2022 to allow trans women, making her eligible to compete. 
• Machete told BI that she felt supported by pageant fans during her time at Miss Universe.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Marina Machete, who represented Portugal at Miss Universe in November. She made history as the first trans woman to place in the top 20. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I wanted to compete in pageants for many years, but this was the first year I was able to do so after Miss Portugal changed its rules in 2022 to allow transgender women to compete.

I was inspired by Angela Ponce, the first trans woman to compete at Miss Universe. When Angela represented Spain in 2018, I really saw how it impacted the community and how it impacted so many other trans women who maybe felt like some things weren't meant for them. Angela became a role model for us all, and from that moment on I've been trying to compete at Miss Universe. If she was able to achieve it, why can't I achieve it?

I'm so happy I'm now able to be part of that story as well.

When I was very young, by 3 or 4 years old, I already knew that I was different from others. All the people around me, especially the adults, saw how I was and what my essence was and there was a lot of wanting to change me or wanting me to change.

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At 13, I was diagnosed with gender dysphoria. By high school, I was expressing myself as Marina, that was already my social identity. When I turned 18, I took the steps to finalize my physical transition.

There was a lot of bullying in school. I was stoned, I was pushed into locker rooms. I had to learn how to deal with that into adulthood. I can't change people's reactions to my existence, all I can do is keep my energy balanced. I don't take things personally. Now that I'm Miss Portugal, even if people did not respect me then, I feel like they respect me now — even if it's just a little bit. Because they know more about my story.

I was more surprised than anyone when I won Miss Portugal. Almost all the girls that were competing, they've done many pageants —they had five, six, or seven years of pageants behind them. So I went into it feeling quite green compared to them and feeling the pressure. I did feel like I was at a disadvantage because it was the first year I could compete, but it was so good to see how welcoming they all were.

I went into Miss Portugal thinking it would be a great experience and that I might get some confidence tips. Even if I didn't make it this year, I planned to come back next year. But it ended up being me!

The moment I won, I did feel a lot of happiness — but also a lot of pressure. Some girls have a year and three months to prepare for Miss Universe, I had three weeks. But I do feel that my life has prepared me quite well for this. Once I won, I felt like, OK this is my moment.

The Miss Portugal Organization really supported me, and there were a lot of people backing me. Designers, hairdressers, stylists, everyone came out of everywhere in Portugal and said "I want to help you." I really felt the power of the community, and I felt the queer community really backed me with everything they had to offer — and that was the most beautiful part. Even my national costume was done in one week. It was a dream I've had for many years to take an iconic image of the woman in the Portuguese revolution and make that into a national costume for Miss Universe . I contacted the designer, a queer artist in Lisbon, and he designed it in a week and I took it to Miss Universe. It's something I'm so happy we got to do.

The beginning of the Miss Universe competition was stressful. I didn't know what to expect because my pageant in Portugal was very small. It was completely different from anything I've experienced. Those first two days were rough, and then we were working a lot. I was sleeping like five to six hours on a good night. Sometimes I was prioritizing other things, like ironing or preparing my hair for the next day, so I was sleeping like four hours. Trying to survive on four hours was challenging.

Meeting the fans at Miss Universe was one of the best parts. They would be there at the hotel lobby with cameras and phones every day. One day, there was a blogger from El Salvador who didn't want to film me because I'm trans. In the days after, the amount of people who came to the hotel to give me flowers, to give me teddy bears, to give me presents, it was overwhelming. It was so beautiful to see the love, and my community proved to me once again that I'm not alone and that they will back me up no matter what. The presence of the fans made the experience more human, and I really enjoyed it.

I felt a lot more supported in El Salvador than in Portugal. I did get negative and dark messages that were horrible and unacceptable, but I feel there is a need to focus on the positive because that's what shined through at the end of the day.

When I went to compete internationally, I was not expecting the number of families with kids, older people, middle-aged people, or regular couples that would just come to scream "Miss Portugal!" or "Marina, we love you!" It was very sweet and that's what I want to remember forever, that love and support.

Making it to the top 20 at Miss Universe was an amazing experience. I cannot lie that I wanted to go further, absolutely, but I was so happy that my work was valued by the organization. I'm very happy for the little girls and young women that are at home watching now because they get a whole new and different perspective of women's beauty being celebrated on TV and on as big of a platform as Miss Universe.

I feel like this is part of our growth as a society. Now we're part of the next generation's idea of who can be celebrated and who can be a role model. In the next few years, it will be very interesting to see how Miss Universe evolves. I'll be watching every year to see it and I'm very excited for this journey for Miss Universe.

Watch: Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst rates 8 pageant scenes in movies and TV

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Aiming for Miss Universe — and Universal Transgender Rights

By Raphael Minder

• July 13, 2018

MADRID — Asked when she first realized that she was a girl, Ángela Ponce answered with her own question: “And when did you first know you were a boy?”

After winning Spain’s national beauty contest last month, Ms. Ponce will become the first transgender woman to compete in the Miss Universe pageant. But she is also on a mission to challenge traditional concepts of gender and beauty, as well as to break down what she sees as unacceptable barriers in the fashion industry.

“Having a vagina doesn’t make a woman,” she said in an interview. “Even if many people don’t want to see me as a woman, I clearly belong among them.”

Ms. Ponce, 27, grew up in Pilas, a town in southern Spain where her father owned a bar that is now managed by her elder brother. Pilas was a conservative place, she says, where “there was nobody like me.” That extended to her school, which also set her apart, placing her in a group of children needing special care, alongside some who were dealing with family breakups or who belonged to the minority Roma community.

But her parents fought hard against any efforts to single her out, as well as against the derogatory attention and insults that she often received. When she was very young, she was encouraged by them to play with her favorite dolls and keep away from her brother’s football.

“The problems for me only started outside my home, at school and on the street,” she said. “My parents always supported me, but from the moment I was born, I felt that I was a public figure and that people somehow had the right to speak about how I was.”

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PR Exec Charlotte Chia, 26, Wins Miss Universe Singapore 2024, Transgender Finalist Qatrisha Zairyah Makes Top 5, Reveals She Split With Hubby

8days.sg was at the Miss Universe Singapore 2024 finals at Amber Lounge yesterday and it was evening full of inspirational stories and surprises.

No part of this story can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.

The Singapore Grand Prix wasn't the only exciting thing to happen this past weekend. 

Glitz, glamour, and flashing cameras — that much we expected when we stepped into The Fullerton Bay Hotel’s Amber Lounge, where the Miss Universe Singapore finals was held yesterday evening (Sep 22).

Plush black sofa seats littered the event space and purple spotlights danced across the room as guests gathered to cheer for their favourite delegates. What we didn’t see coming though were the heartfelt stories shared by the 15 finalists, proving that it wasn't just skin-deep beauty the judges were looking for. 

26-year-old public relations account executive Charlotte Chia was crowned Miss Universe Singapore 2024, and she will go on to represent our country in the Miss Universe pageant finals in Mexico City on November 16.

Charlotte, who looked stunning in her flaming red bodycon gown, was also awarded the title of Miss Body Beautiful. Upon receiving her crown and sash, Charlotte took a brief moment to thank her grandmother, who has been the driving force behind her advocacy for elderly care and welfare.

Speaking to 8days.sg after the win, Charlotte says: “Honestly I’m still a little bit in shock. I’m on the verge of tears. I’m going to call grandma and share the good news with her, she’s at home, she couldn’t make it here ‘cos she caught a cold.”

Charlotte’s mum was in the audience to watch her crowning moment though. The older lady, dressed in a sparkly silver dress, was cheering for her loudly, blowing on her whistle the entire time.

Charlotte reveals that it was her mum’s birthday the day before, and we can’t think of a better present she could’ve given her.

“My mum was the reason I realised I won. My ears are a little blocked from the music, so when I initially heard my name I thought I was hearing things, until I saw my mum jumping like a giant disco ball,” laughs Charlotte.

Charlotte starts tearing up as she speaks about her grandma, who is 97 this year.

“I’m an only child of the youngest daughter, and she’s my only grandparent left. When I was growing up both my parents were working, so I would spend time at her place. She would heat up HL milk for me over the stove and I always joke that that’s the reason I’m so tall," says Charlotte, who stands at 175cm. She adds that she returned to Singapore after completing  university in Sydney in 2019 as she did not want to be away from her grandma any longer than she had to.

In second place was Adelene Stanley , a 29-year-old dancer-choreographer, and founder of local dance academy The Dance Circus.

Adelene is a single mother of a two-year-old girl. 

“I always tell my baby girl that she’s strong and fearless. She’s why I decided to join this competition,” says an emotional Adelene.

“It’s tough with the divorce, and it’s something that can be very displacing for most families. I want to tell her that she’ll never be alone. Her dad and I, we are not together romantically anymore, but it is a new family we have to navigate.”

Coming in third was TV anchor and researcher  Olivia Dewi Cinta Higgins , also 29, whose dad is Australian and mum, Indonesian.

“I’m mixed-race, so growing up there  was the struggle of ‘you belong everywhere, and you belong nowhere’.  But over time, I started to find my path, to embrace this uncertainty."

Next on her to-do list? Flying to Hong Kong in November to train for her third Hyrox competition of the year.

Then there was  Qatrisha Zairyah , Miss Universe Singapore’s first transgender finalist , who finished her history-making run in the Top 5.

To say that Qatrisha received overwhelming support at the finals would be an understatement. Her friends and supporters, many of whom are from the queer community, showed up in full force, contributing to some of the loudest and most enthusiastic cheers throughout the night.

It was truly a testament to how important Qatrisha’s participation in the pageant was to her community.

“I’m feeling thankful for the achievement I’ve made, regardless of whether I win or not, I’ve won my people’s hearts and have been a great representation for them. It’s a tremendous success for me to be here in a women’s pageant, and to represent women of all backgrounds,” says Qatrisha.

When 8days.sg spoke to Qatrisha earlier this month, she spoke about her family and her 32-year-old husband of seven years , whom she met while serving National Service. We didn’t see her husband in the audience that evening, and thought we might have missed him.

When we bring him up during our interview, Qatrisha candidly reveals: “So here’s the thing. Sadly, we are going our separate ways. It was a mutual decision. We don’t want to put on a show. I know everyone is making a big hoo-ha of me being a married transgender, but it would be just a facade [if he came]. We’re still together on paper, but we’ve decided to go our own ways.”

She continues: “It’s very fresh. That’s why in past media interviews I was so happy to express my feelings and share about my 13-year journey with him. I think it’s time I let the media know that during my pageant journey, we made a mutual agreement to go our own ways.”

Now, Qatrisha is focusing on pursuing her modelling career, while being an advocate for her community.

“I want people to know my story and as the first trans woman who managed to be in the finals, it’s a huge responsibility for me. It’s about time for me to express more, and with this I'll have more opportunities to represent my community,” she says.

Check out the 8days TikTok page for more behind-the-scenes interviews with the beauty queens.

Photos: Miss Universe Singapore, Adib Haziq

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At least two transgender women will compete in the Miss Universe pageant

Marina Machete became the first transgender woman to win Miss Portugal last week, making her one of two trans contestants so far to compete for Miss Universe later this year.

Machete, a 28-year-old flight attendant, thanked her supporters for the “positive and empowering” messages she has received since being crowned Thursday. 

“To all of you watching, I just want to say that, just like the universe, your possibilities in life are limitless,” she said in a video shared on Instagram over the weekend. “So don’t limit yourself to any dream that you have.”

She added that she is excited to meet the other delegates at the 72nd Miss Universe pageant in El Salvador in November. 

In July, Rikkie Valerie Kolle, 22, became the first trans woman to be crowned Miss Netherlands .

“Yes I’m trans and I want to share my story but I’m also Rikkie and that’s what matters to me,” she wrote in an Instagram post at the time. “I did this on my own strength and enjoyed every moment.”

Shortly after she was crowned, she revealed that she became the target of hate speech online. 

“I thought we were really accepting ... in the Netherlands, but the hate comments show the other side of our society. I hope that’s a wake-up call,” she told Reuters at the time. “For now, I fully ignore it. I focus on the good things coming my way.”

It appears that Machete and Kolle will be the only transgender contestants among the 90 women who will compete for the crown on Nov. 18. There are two more qualifying pageants — in Mongolia and China — before the Miss Universe pageant next month, and no local reporting has identified any trans contestants.

Related stories:

• First transgender Miss Netherlands winner becomes target of online hate speech
• Trans men enter Miss Italy pageant in droves after trans women are told they can’t compete
• Transgender businesswoman buys Miss Universe pageant for $20M

Miss Universe began allowing trans women to compete in 2012 and, in 2018, Angela Ponce became the first trans woman to do so after she was crowned Miss Spain. 

In 2021, Kataluna Enriquez became the first trans woman to compete in the Miss USA pageant after she was crowned Miss Nevada, though she did not go on to compete in that year’s Miss Universe pageant. In February, Daniela Arroyo González became the first trans woman to compete in Miss Universe Puerto Rico, where she finished within the top 10 finalists, according to her Instagram .

However, not all pageants have been open to including trans women. In July, more than 100 transgender men entered the Miss Italy pageant after the pageant’s organizer said Miss Italy wouldn’t allow trans women to compete.

Anne Jakkapong Jakrajutatip, a Thai businesswoman and transgender advocate, bought the Miss Universe Organization for $20 million last year, making her the first woman to own the pageant.

Jo Yurcaba is a reporter for NBC Out.

Miss Universe S'pore sees 1st ever married transgender woman finalist

Trailblazer.

By Hannah Martens

September 02, 2024, 12:04 PM

The first-ever married transgender finalist has made her debut at the Miss Universe Singapore (MUS) 2024

Qatrisha Zairyah, 33, was one of 15 women who advanced to the finals on Aug. 24.

Emphasising inclusivity, the finalists ranged in age from 19 to 34 and hailed from various backgrounds and careers.

"I am very proud of the wider range of interesting and successful contestants we have at Miss Universe Singapore 2024 due to this year's more inclusive direction," said Elaine Daly, the national director of Miss Universe Singapore.

"We have definitely seen more entrants with different backgrounds and achievements, and this has encouraged more women to participate for the first time."

Representation

The fashion adviser previously won first runner-up in the Miss International Queen 2023.

In the press release by MUS, Zairyah shared that advocacy for her community and women in general made her want to contribute and serve as a strong role model for women of all backgrounds.

She said, "I am committed to fighting for the existence of my people and empowering women worldwide. "

Speaking to The Straits Times , Zairyah shared that she underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2017 and was prepared for criticism as she is aware not everyone "can accept people like us".

She added that she had known her husband since she was 20 years old and still doing national service.

He has been with her throughout her transformation journey, and the pair have been married for seven years.

The couple got married in Singapore, ST reported.

Zairyah said she has what it takes to be a winner.

"How awesome will it be if I can be the first trans woman to represent Singapore on the global stage? Who knows, I may even be the first to represent Asia," she told ST .

Miss Universe Singapore is the official preliminary to Miss Universe.

The finalist who is crowned Miss Universe Singapore will represent the country on the International Miss Universe Stage.

According to the official application form , contestants must be Singapore citizens based in Singapore and legally recognised as female on official documentation, such as identification cards and passports.

Women who are either single, married, divorced, or with children are also allowed to participate.

Top photos via Qatrisha Zairyah/Instagram

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U.S. court says a pageant can exclude transgender women in its competitions

Jaclyn Diaz

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled Wednesday that the operator of the Miss United States of America pageant can't be forced to allow openly transgender women into its competitions. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled Wednesday that the operator of the Miss United States of America pageant can't be forced to allow openly transgender women into its competitions.

The operator of the Miss United States of America pageant can't be forced to allow openly transgender women into its competitions, a federal appeals court has ruled.

The ruling said that being forced to do this would obstruct the organization's ability to express its belief the contest is only for "natural born" females.

Judges for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday rejected the complaint brought by Anita Green, an activist and trans woman. Green has claimed that Miss United States of America's eligibility rules, which expressly require contestants to be "natural born females," violate an anti-discrimination law in Oregon, where she lives.

Transgender Woman Sues Miss United States Of America Pageant

Green first sued Miss United States of America LLC (which does business as United States of America Pageants) in an Oregon district court in 2019.

Green says she had reached out to pageant National Director Tanice Smith about changing policies and was denied. She applied to compete anyway, but had her application rejected.

Miss United States of America LLC is not to be confused with the Miss USA pageants, which do allow trans participants to compete .

Green called the pageant's policy arbitrary

"I don't think someone shouldn't be allowed to compete simply because they are transgender," Green said in a 2019 interview with NPR . "I think that that's very arbitrary. Transgender women are equal to cisgender women.

"To me, pageantry isn't just about the way a person looks. To me, it's about giving people a voice," Green said.

Pride Month

2021 miss nevada will be the first openly transgender miss usa contestant.

Miss United States of America's eligibility requirement is protected under the First Amendment's protection against compelled speech, the judges' order says. In their 2-1 ruling, the judges rejected Green's belief that this violates the Oregon Public Accommodations Act.

"The panel noted that it is commonly understood that beauty pageants are generally designed to express the 'ideal vision of American womanhood.' The Pageant would not be able to communicate 'the celebration of biological women' if it were forced to allow Green to participate," the order states.

Pop Culture

Miss universe has its first trans contestant — while miss usa stirs criticism.

The judges continued, "The panel concluded that forcing the Pageant to accept Green as a participant would fundamentally alter the Pageant's expressive message in direct violation of the First Amendment."

The order upheld an earlier district court ruling.

Attorneys for Green and Miss United States of America didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

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• Beauty News

Angela Ponce Becomes the First Transgender Miss Universe Finalist

Angela Ponce just made history by winning Miss Universe Spain and becoming the first transgender Miss Universe finalist. The 26-year-old competed against 22 other contestants for the crown and will now compete in the world pageant in the Philippines later this year.

Ponce wrote on Instagram about her hopes for her new title. "My goal is to be a spokesperson for a message of inclusion, respect, and diversity not only for the LGBTQ+ community, but also for the entire world."

According to CNN, the Miss Universe competition didn't allow transgender contestants until 2012, when Jenna Talackova was told she would be disqualified because she wasn't born female. After legal threats from women's rights lawyer Gloria Allred were made on behalf of Talackova, Miss Universe lifted the ban on transgender contestants.

Donald Trump, who is no longer associated with the beauty pageant, claimed he was planning to lift the ban before the legal threats.

Miss Universe changes rules to include transgender women

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Trans beauty queen set to make history in Miss Universe contest

A beauty queen is set to make history by becoming the first transgender woman to compete for the title of Miss Universe Puerto Rico.

Daniela Arroyo González was chosen to compete in the contest on February 23 and it is the second time she's tried to qualify for the contest. If she wins, González will go on to represent Puerto Rico in the global Miss Universe pageant.

Taking to Instagram to celebrate the good news, González said: "The emotion and pride that I feel in this moment overwhelms me with joy."

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"Having the courage to dream big and follow your heart always leads us to success or in the best case it leads us to change the world to a better one."

"It's time to show how far we can go," she concluded at the end: "this is my time."

In the post from Monday, (February 27) she captioned: "Let's make history together!"

In a statement , the organisers said about González: "She wishes to live in a less polarised society, where differences can be appreciated and embraced as something positive that unites, instead of something that separates.”

González is an LGBTQ+ activist who co-founded Puerto Rico Trans Youth Coalition , a community support group to help young trans people in her country.

She is also widely known for winning a federal lawsuit against Puerto Rico’s government that allows people to change their gender on their birth certificate, AP reported.

See on Instagram

Transgender contestants have been eligible to take part in Miss Universe pageant since 2012, with the first trans woman contestant - Miss Universe Spain, Ángela Maria Ponce Camacho - competing in 2018.

The Miss Universe Organization was bought for $20 million last year by Thai trans businesswoman and transgender activist, Jakkapong Anne Jakrajutatip.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Controversial amendments to pageant rules, diverse sentiments and public discourse, miss universe organization's perspective, unanswered questions and considerations.

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Miss Universe Pageant Allows Transgender Women to Compete

Pageant revises its rules in the wake of controversy surrounding miss universe canada hopeful jenna talackova's disqualification.

Now here's a true flash of beauty.

Transgender women have notched a key victory in a bid for equality, as the Miss Universe Organization announced today that they will be allowed to compete in its pageants.

The move follows a bitter controversy that erupted after transgender Miss Universe Canada hopeful Jenna Talackova was disqualified from competing in her country's pageant for not being a natural-born female.

MORE: Transgender Miss Universe Canada Contestant Jenna Talackova Allowed to Compete

In a joint statement, GLAAD and the Miss Universe Organization, which is owned by Donald Trump , said that they are "pleased to announce that after more than two weeks of discussions, the Miss Universe Organization is close to finalizing an official policy change that will allow women who are transgender to participate in its beauty competitions."

GLAAD has aggressively engaged in a dialogue with the organization following the uproar over Talackova's disqualification, and spokesperson Herndon Graddick explained, "For more than two weeks, the Miss Universe Organization and Mr. Trump made it clear to GLAAD that they were open to making a policy change to include women who are transgender...We appreciate that he and his team responded swiftly and appropriately."

PHOTOS: Famous Pageant Queens

The Miss Universe Organization claims that its decision to open the pageant to transgender contestants is in line with its push to support "equality for all women."

"We want to give credit where credit is due," Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, said in the statement. "And the decision to include transgender women in our beauty competitions is a result of our ongoing discussions with GLAAD and not Jenna's legal representation, which if anything delayed the process. We have a long history of supporting equality for all women, and this was something we took very seriously."

Per the announcement, the policy change will kick in this fall just in time for the 2013 pageant season, when most of the regional competitions start being staged around the world.

PHOTOS: Beauty Pageant Scandals

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Miriam Quiambao reacts to Miss Universe pageant's new rule allowing transgender women to join

The Miss Universe beauty pageant continues to sit in controversy over the appeals of disqualified Canadian candidate Jenna Talackova, a transgender woman.

Yesterday, April 10, the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) announced that they have lifted the disqualification and has decided to reinstate Talackova in the competition.

Furthermore, the organization also said that they are going to revamp the pageant rules to accommodate transgender women in the contest beginning 2013.

According to MUO president Paula Shugart, who was quoted in an article published on the official website of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination (GLAAD):

“We want to give credit where credit is due, and the decision to include transgender women in our beauty competitions is a result of our ongoing discussions with GLAAD and not Jenna’s legal representation, which if anything, delayed the process.

“We have a long history of supporting equality for all women, and this was something we took very seriously.”

MIRIAM QUIMABAO SAYS "NO." Members of the gay and lesbian community who rallied alongside Talackova were thrilled to hear this news.

However, for some people, it was an appaling idea to even consider—that includes Miss Universe 1999 first runner-up Miriam Quiambao who took to Twitter today, April 11, to express her firm opposition of the new rule.

“In my humble opinion, transgenders should not be allowed to join the MissU because it's only for REAL women.

“We should all make a stand. Just because it's popular, it doesn't mean that it's right.”

She even made her views known to MUO co-owner Donald Trump through direct tweets she sent to him:

“@realDonaldTrump in my humble opinion, the decision to include transgenders in the @MissUniverse pageant sends the wrong message.

“This may set a precedent that one day most participants in @MissUniverse are transgenders. #essenceofawoman? #majormistake @realDonaldTrump”

RULES ARE RULES. Even before bashers had the chance to hound Miriam with negative comments, she was already quick to defend herself from people who might call her judgmental towards members of the third sex.

She said, “I'm not judging gays/transgenders and I love them anyway but @MissUniverse should be for natural born women only.”

She also responded to some Twitter users who are in favor of the MUO's decision.

She answered user @FTal’s question, “Wouldn't it be interesting if she [Jenna Talackova] won?--It would be...but @MissUniverse would have just lost their INTEGRITY.”

In another tweet to Trump, Miriam also asked, “Whatever happened to the "essence of a woman?" borrowing a phrase from the question answered by Miss Universe 1994 Sushmita Sen during the pageant’s final round.

And again Miriam reiterated, “The @MissUniverse pageant should be for natural born women.”

According to information posted on the Miss Universe official website, the qualifications for a pageant candidate are that women must be 18 to 27 years old to join; must not have ever been married, not had a marriage annulled; and must not have given birth to or parented a child.

Titleholders are also required to remain single throughout their reigning year.

COMMENTS FROM OTHER TWITTER USERS. Majority of sentiments from other Filipino Twitter users are echoing Miriam’s opinion about the issue.

@thon_kage said, “kung ung mga babaeng may asawa nga di pwedeng sumali, sila pa?”

@bee2urgello said: “@miriamq i know, right? im a transgender but i dont agree with this. we have our own arena.”

@davepilapil07 said: “I really respect transgenders but Miss Universe should be exclusive for naturally born women & I hope that we're going to leave it that way.”

@maCZARap said: “If they allowed a transgender to join, might as well allow petite and plus size women to join as well.”

@banpydiaries said: “add to that the discrimination towards fat but beautiful women”

Now we ask you, PEPsters, what do you think about this issue?

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Make Miss Universe Pageant All-Female Again

Peter Parisi

Copy Editor, The Daily Signal

Key Takeaways

How humiliating and disheartening must it be for a Miss Universe pageant contestant to lose to a “woman” with a penis and testicles?

The CEO of the company that now owns and operates the Miss Universe pageant is Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, a Thai man who himself insists he’s a woman.

Ten other countries have withdrawn from this year’s pageant, though it’s unknown whether any of them did so to protest the participation of the faux females.

That, regrettably, is not a hypothetical question. That’s exactly what happened to real young women earlier this year in preliminary pageants in two European nations, Portugal and the Netherlands.

On Saturday night, those countries will be represented by a pair of transgender faux females at the 72nd annual Miss Universe pageant.

To borrow a vintage 55-year-old advertising line from Virginia Slims cigarettes, “You’ve come a long way, Baby.” Just not in the way Phillip Morris envisioned it in 1968.   And there may be yet more humiliation and heartbreak ahead for the XX-chromosomed real women participating in the pageant this weekend. Don’t discount the possibility that either “Miss” Portugal, Marina Machete, or “Miss” Netherlands, Rikkie Valerie Kolle, could walk away with the sash and tiara this weekend in El Salvador.

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That’s because the CEO of the company that now owns and operates the Miss Universe pageant, JKN Global Group, is Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, a Thai man who himself insists he’s a woman, biology to the contrary notwithstanding.   His modus operandi for the pageant appears to be “if it ain’t broke, break it.” 

“Trans women are women, full stop,” the Miss Universe Organization declared after Machete won the Portuguese crown. (“Full stop”? Really? At the risk of a double entendre here, they … umm … forgot the “period.” Or maybe the omission was intentional.)

Last November, shortly after acquiring the pageant, Jakrajutatip vowed to the Bangkok Post newspaper: “We will adopt a new concept, ‘One universe,’ in which opportunities to participate in the competition will be given also to trans women and married women, and fairness in the contest judging will be ensured.” (emphasis added)

And we all know how the unhinged Left spells “fairness”: D-E-I, as in “diversity, equity and inclusion.” 

“This will be the first beauty contest with real gender equality and inclusion,” Jakrajutatip averred. 

Not quite. “Miss” Portugal and “Miss” Netherlands aren’t the first transgender “women” to compete for the Miss Universe crown. In 2018, Angela Ponce, “Miss Spain,” beat them to it, but finished out of the Top 10 finalists.

The Portuguese and Dutch contestants will be competing against 90 real women from around the world, including, for the first time, a contestant from Pakistan.

Italy did the next best thing: It barred transgender “women” from its Miss Universe competition, stipulating that its contestants “must be a woman from birth.” (Miss Italy is not affiliated with the Miss Universe Organization, however, and the Miss Italy Universe pageant is a separate contest, according to CNN.)

>>>  Liberal Hypocrites Are Destroying Women’s Sports

Even if the Miss Universe pageant weren’t owned by a transgender person, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising that biological men have been allowed into the competition, given that so many other endeavors heretofore reserved exclusively for real women have been invaded by these intersex interlopers, most notably high school and collegiate athletics. 

So has the annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, and earlier this month, Glamour magazine named as one of its seven “women of the year” a transgender model, whom one critic ridiculed on Glamour’s Instagram page as “a man in a dress.”

What’s just as disconcerting is the deafening silence of liberal “cisgender” women who purport to champion women’s rights but who won’t stand up for the real girls and women being cheated out of athletic awards and scholarships—or, in this case, pageant titles.

As recently as 2015, the Miss Universe pageant was co-owned by Donald Trump, who, for the past couple of years, has spoken out forcefully against allowing faux females to interlope in girls’ and women’s sports. 

Maybe the once-and-(perhaps)-future president should buy the pageant back and make the Miss Universe pageant great again. Or at least make it all-XX chromosomes again.

This piece originally appeared in The Washington Times on November 17, 2023

Neither federal lawmakers nor courts should have the power to redefine what it is to be a man or a woman for all Americans. Learn more about policies that curb government overreach with Solutions .

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