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.

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.

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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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Miss Universe Accepted A Trans Woman For The First Time In History – Regardless Of Your Views On Pageantry, This Is Progress

The founder of BeaYourself, Transgender Model and national title holder Miss Transgender UK 2017/18

Miss Universe, a beauty pageant founded in 1952, is one of the biggest in the world. Historically it has always discriminated against transgender females as many others do by saying “only naturally born genetic females may apply” – or similar wording. This year however they removed this and accepted transgender females as the females that we are!

I’m a transgender female. I was a model and I still am a pageant girl , winning my first title, Miss Transgender UK, back in 2017. I now compete in natural systems as a female, even though I’ve had knock-backs like being disqualified from one pageant as I was not born female. I am now a self-employed photographer trying to help people of difference where so many industries don’t accept others.

2018 Miss Universe set a new standard this year, Angela Ponce, who won the title Miss Spain , is like me, a transgender female just wanting acceptance as a female. From my point of view as a transgender female this is life changing as it gives us hope that more people will one day accept myself and other transgender females as the females we are.

Miss Spain didn’t reach the top 20, but as I see it, this doesn’t matter – she made it to the finals on the Miss Universe stage and showed the world that she is transgender, but she is just as female as every other girl on stage. It would have been amazing if she had have won, but I truly believe the message has already been sent, transgender women are women.

Pageantry is bigger in some countries than others. Pageantry also carries a lot of love, and a lot of hate, some people believe pageants are outdated and don’t agree with people getting judged against each other. The point of this article is not to go into if pageants are right or wrong, it’s to highlight what a massive milestone moment this is that a transgender female has been accepted as a female within such a huge, world famous system and broken years of history of discrimination.

Aside from Miss Universe there are hundreds of other pageants out there, some small, some growing, and some going from a single country to international. Many still don’t accept transgender females. In some countries this is against equality law and gender recognition law, but unfortunately the discrimination continues. Let’s hope this amazing move forward will start change for acceptance. The message Angela sent out before the finals of Miss Universe was that she wanted to send a message to Trump. I think this sent a message to Trump, and hopefully to many others.

Let’s hope the world’s big organisations all follow and acknowledge for the transgender communities around the world that trans woman are women, trans men are men, and everyone is human and should be accepted for who they are.

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Miss Universe pageant allowing transgender women

A rule change that would allow transgender women to participate in the Miss Universe beauty pageant next year is a step forward for equality, advocates said Tuesday after pageant officials announced the policy shift.

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Pageant officials said they are working on the language of the official rule policy change but expected final word to come soon. The rules will have to be approved by Donald Trump, who runs the Miss Universe Organization, and NBC. Trump and NBC co-own the contest.

The announcement of the policy change comes a week after the organization decided to allow Jenna Talackova to compete for Canada’s spot in the Miss Universe pageant this year.

Talackova, a Vancouver resident, underwent a sex change four years ago after being born a male. The advocacy group GLAAD called on the Miss Universe Organization to review her case, as well as open the competition to transgender women, after she was disqualified from competing in the Miss Universe Canada contest next month.

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“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,” said Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization. “We have a long history of supporting equality for all women, and this was something we took very seriously.”

The Miss Universe Organization produces the pageant, as well as the Miss USA and the Miss Teen competitions, according to the organization’s website. The Miss Universe pageant began in 1952 as a local “bathing beauty” contest, headed by California-based Catalina Swimwear, the site says.

Trials for next year’s Miss Universe pageant begin this summer.

“Everybody should be allowed to participate in every aspect of society,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “Absolutely it’s good news, it’s another pernicious structural discrimination barrier taken down.”

Susan Stryker, director of the Institute for LGBT Studies at the University of Arizona, said she hoped to see similar progress in areas that would impact more people – like employment discrimination issues and anti-transgender violence.

“The next question is, can’t we move beyond beauty pageants and make changes in areas that have more relevance,” she asked.

She pointed out that while trans people should be able to take part fully in society, there are issues with beauty pageants overall, questions of “whether beauty pageants are the best way to advance the cause of girls, of women.”

But she said trans women participating in the pageants could make a difference, and help shatter stereotypes and educate the public. She pointed to Chaz Bono, a transgender man, and the impact of his appearance on “Dancing with the Stars.”

“To that extent, it’s just a great thing to have a positive media representation even if it is inconsequential,” she said.

Contest officials worked closely with GLAAD to change the policy, and the advocacy group on Tuesday praised the decision and the work by Talackova to remain a contestant.

“The Miss Universe Organization today follows institutions that have taken a stand against discrimination of transgender women including the Olympics, NCAA, the Girl Scouts of America and The CW’s America’s Next Top Model,” said GLAAD’s senior director of programs Herndon Graddick. “At a time when transgender people are still routinely denied equal opportunities in housing, employment and medical care, today’s decision is in line with the growing levels of public support for transgender people across the country.”

Talackova’s sex change initially led organizers in Canada to disqualify her from the 61st Miss Universe Canada pageant in May, citing a rule that she must be “naturally born” a woman.

Talackova pleaded with the pageant’s leaders to drop the rule.

“I am a woman,” Talackova said last week. “I was devastated, and I felt that excluding me for the reason that they gave was unjust. I have never asked for any special consideration. I only wanted to compete.”

Associated Press writer Deepti Hajela contributed to this report.

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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

As one of the biggest and most prestigious pageants in the world, the Miss Universe organization has been at the forefront of finding ways to support more women. They’ve consistently evolved to heed calls for greater diversity, inclusivity, and representation in the pageant. 

In 2012, they changed its rule only allowing “naturally born females” in the competition to also allow transgender candidates to participate. As of writing, they remain to be the only major international pageant that accepts trans women candidates. Spain’s Angela Ponce made history in 2018 as the first transgender delegate to compete in the international edition of the pageant.

In 2022, the Miss Universe organization announced that starting 2023, they’ll be opening the pageant to mothers and wives . Previously, only single women, aged between 18 to 28, who “must not have ever been married, not had a marriage annulled, nor given birth to, or parented a child” were allowed to compete. 

“Now, women are able to have families, they’re able to have a job, they’re able to be a spokesperson. We should not be the ones to say, ‘You can’t do this,” Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe organization, said about their decision. 

For the Miss Universe 2023 pageant, two married women with children and two transgender women will be competing for the crown – a first in the pageant’s more than 70-year history. 

In light of these groundbreaking developments, let’s get to know more about the contestants who are set to make history in the pageant: 

Michelle Cohn (Guatemala)

In August, Michelle Cohhn became the first married woman with children to win the Miss Universe Guatemala crown, as well as the first mother confirmed to compete in the 2023 pageant. 

The 28-year-old beauty queen is married to Andres Mattheu, whom she shares two children with – a son and a daughter. 

Following her win, Cohn took to Instagram to express her happiness in having the opportunity to represent her country in the beauty pageant.

“A little over a year ago, I would have thought this was impossible and today, I am here looking to be the first mother to represent Guatemala to the universe,” she wrote in Spanish. “Here I am today, once again proving what we as women can accomplish.” 

Prior to joining Miss Universe, Cohn also previously represented Guatemala in the Miss Grand International 2013 pageant. 

Camila Avella (Colombia)

In September, Camila Avella was crowned Miss Universe Colombia –  the first married candidate to win the title. 

The model and TV presenter is a mother of one, a two-year-old daughter. Following Cohn, she’s the second delegate in the Miss Universe 2023 pageant who has a child. 

Prior to her winning the Miss Colombia pageant, Avella has opened up how important it is for her as a mother to participate in the competition, saying that it signifies another milestone for women to highlight their potential. 

“Amelia, my daughter, is the best thing that has ever happened to me,” she wrote in Spanish. “With her was born in me the desire to achieve the best version of myself. I want to show the universe how capable we women are and be an example and inspiration that being a mother does not limit us to working. To fulfill our purposes, we can play in all the roles we have in life and be successful in each of them.” 

Describing her win as a “historic achievement” for Colombia, Avella promises that she will represent the “beauty, strength, and talent” of her country in the Miss Universe 2023 pageant. 

If either Cohn or Avella win the Miss Universe 2023 pageant, they’ll make history as the first married woman with a child to do so. 

Rikkie Valerie Kollé (Netherlands)

In July, model Rikkie Valerie Kollé became the first transgender woman candidate to win the Miss Universe Netherlands crown. 

Following her crowning moment, Kollé took to social media to share her happiness about the milestone. 

“It was an educational and wonderful process, my year can no longer be broken. I’m so proud and happy, I can’t describe it. I’ve made my community proud and shown that it can be done,” she wrote in Dutch, as translated by Business Today.  

“And yes, I’m a trans woman and I want to share my story,” she added. “I did this on my own strength and enjoyed every moment.”

In the Miss Netherlands website , Kollé mentioned that she wanted to be a role model for young women and queer people, adding that she personally experienced suffering after she came out as transgender. 

“As a little boy, I conquered all the things that came through my path. And look at me now, standing here as a strong, empowering, and confident trans woman. Love is love. Be who you want to be,” she said in a separate video . 

Kollé is only the second transgender woman to join the global Miss Universe pageant since Spain’s Ponce. 

Mariana Machete (Portugal)

In October, Marina Machete was named Miss Universe Portugal, making her the first transgender woman to win the crown. She’s also the second transgender woman to be confirmed to compete in the Miss Universe 2023 pageant. 

During the Miss Portugal pageant, the flight attendant lobbied for trans rights, saying that the “rise in the levels of transphobia and intolerance worldwide” is “alarming.”

“As a trans woman, I’ve been through many obstacles along the way. But fortunately, and especially with my family, love proved to be stronger than ignorance,” she said.

If either Kollé or Machete win the Miss Universe 2023 pageant, they’ll be the first transgender woman to win the crown. 

Over 80 delegates from all over the world will be competing to succeed USA’s R’Bonney Gabriel. 

The Miss Universe 2023 coronation night is set for November 18 (morning of November 19 in the Philippines). Meanwhile, the preliminary competition and the national costume show are set for November 15 and 16, respectively. 

The Philippines’ Michelle Dee is competing in hopes of winning the country’s fifth Miss Universe crown, with its recent winners being Pia Wurtzbach in 2015 and Catriona Gray in 2018. – Rappler.com

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Should trans women join beauty pageants for natural-born women?

A young trans woman pens a letter about her love for beauty contests and her dream of joining them.

By Aldy Cadupay

I started watching beauty pageants in 2003. At the age of five, I could never forget how mesmerizing it felt to see powerful women gathered on one stage to fight for a platform that could change their life forever. It never fails to make me smile everytime I remember that I don't even know which country I'm supporting, because I don't even know the name of our native land then. In the eyes of my five-year-old self, what is more important is the thought that I could dream of being on that stage in the future.

Until one day, I was informed that the dream is not going to happen. The possibility that it will never be is very high. Saying that I am devastated is an understatement of what I felt. Apparently, we have this idea that the dream we should choose for ourselves would also depend on what's between our legs. My future and my identity have been decided by a stranger. It seems that I could never do something about it.

It was in 2012, while I was doing my assignment on the internet, that I came across this news that the Miss Universe organization will allow transgender women to compete. That decision has been made after a brave soul from Miss Universe Canada made a petition about it. My mind went blank. I was having difficulty understanding what was happening because, at that time, we didn't have any concrete guidelines yet on how to identify if the news article we were reading was fake or not. At that moment, the only thing I could think of was the chance of me joining the competition. It could happen.

That is correct, I identify myself as a woman. That realization I have has been there ever since. Maybe it took a long time for me to fully understand who I am, but I know what I am. I am special. I am a woman.

Angela Ponce from Spain was the first-ever trans woman to compete for the crown. As historic as that time was, it was also the same year when I realized that the people I thought were my allies during my process of identifying myself were not really allies. Ironically, their acceptance has reservations. The idea that these people were the first to understand me was not even close to reality. It's very frustrating. On top of that, even the people from my community were the main contributors of that misunderstanding.

Miss Universe beauty pageant was a platform created for women after the Second World War. As we all know, women from the past were not as privileged as how we are at the present. The original goal of the pageant was to open great opportunities for women to showcase not just their beauty but also their wisdom and their talents. As time went by, the platform progressed into something more monumental. The title holders are now given an avenue to which they could travel around the world to educate and inform women what they are capable of.

Representation is the main key to the success of the organization. Let's not forget how great it was when the first Asian was crowned in 1959, the first Latina title holder was crowned in 1957, the first Southeast Asian was crowned in 1965, and the first Black woman was crowned in 1977. In 1974, the Philippines was the first Asian country to host the pageant, in which we were given the chance to showcase our culture and traditions. Who knows, a few years from now we might witness the first trans woman to win the title.

Pageant is a business. At the end of the day, the main goal is to look for someone that could represent the brand. An ambassador that could compete with the demanding world of aesthetics. Transwomen can join this platform not just because of the expression and impression that they have about themselves. They have the capacity to represent the product. To market the brand.

There are lots of arguments about what being a woman is about. The parameters of what a woman should be is now part of the debate on why we should not let trans women join. It is expected for people to have their different thoughts about it. They are so into that discussion that they even forgot what is the main reason why we are having this event, why we are putting up this event every year to celebrate the women of the universe.

We tend to forget that the reason why we are creating this platform is to empower women that are not well-represented, that they could dream. They could be leaders. They could bring hope and inspiration to their people. Whatever our background is, it doesn't matter. We all could share the same stage and we all could represent our brands. All of us can be Miss Universe. And just like the universe itself, we have endless possibilities.

About the Author

Aldy Cadupay is a graduate of Bachelor of Arts majoring in English. She is currently working as an HR recruitment specialist, and works part time as an actor and a teacher. Apart from aspiring to become a beauty queen, she hopes to become a values teacher someday.

Why Miss Q&A Juliana Parizcova Segovia is against transgender women joining Miss Universe

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Miss Universe co-owner appears to say diverse contestants 'cannot win' in resurfaced video

A leaked recording from an alleged Miss Universe board meeting in November is making waves as the pageant co-owner appears to disparage diverse contestants despite pageant's promise of inclusivity.

Miss Universe co-owner Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip reportedly states women from "non-traditional backgrounds" can compete but they "cannot win," a video obtained by Vox Wednesday shows. The video was shared by meeting attendee and former CEO of Miss Universe Mexico Rodrigo Goytortua Ortega, per the outlet.

"The trans women, the women with husbands, divorced women … This is a communication strategy, because, you understand … they can compete, but they cannot win. We just put the policy out there. Social inclusion, as people would say," Jakrajutatip, a trans woman, appears to say in the video.

Several board members appear to agree that the diversity efforts are good so people will feel seen and want to buy more Miss Universe products.

"We can have real-size beauty, the contestant. Very big size … (But) we'll have to control the audience (lest) they vote all for the big size," Jakrajutatip adds presumably referring to weight, with several nodding in agreement.

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When reached for comment, a representative for Miss Universe sent USA TODAY a statement dated Feb. 23 , titled "Miss Universe Organization stands strong in upholding values of inclusion, transparency, and integrity."

The organization described the video's circulation as "malicious attempts by certain individuals to tarnish the reputation of our organization by spreading false accusations."

"In light of recent misinformation and attempts to smear the Miss Universe Organization, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the core values we have diligently defended over the years," the statement read, in part.

"The Miss Universe Organization has worked tirelessly to promote inclusion, transparency, and integrity, and we will not be swayed by unfounded allegations. We have been informed of malicious attempts by certain individuals to tarnish the reputation of our organization by spreading false accusations."

The organization added, "We wholeheartedly embrace and defend the expression of beauty in its various forms."

USA TODAY reached out to a rep for Jakrajutatip for comment.

The video has already circulated outside of the U.S., but has garnered new attention as all eyes are on the pageant world amid Miss USA's current controversy and resignations. Jakrajutatip is the CEO of JKN Global Group, which also owns Miss USA and Miss Teen USA.

Miss USA pageant resignations: An explainer of the organization's chaos — and what's next

What has the Miss Universe CEO said?

Jakrajutatip seemingly addressed the leaked footage in a Facebook post in February. "The malicious edited video was out of context and used to manipulate other people which led to the public confusion, misunderstanding, misinterpretation and wrong conclusion," she wrote. "I hope the world would not go round by this non sense soap opera alike."

Addressing Ortega, she wrote, "I still don’t comprehend why this man, who I was so nice to him, would like to jeopardize me and the organization while we were talking about one of the new reality show episodes not the pageantry itself."

She added that the alleged attempt at sabotage "wasn't successful as we always have the strong clever fans who can distinguish what is real or not."

Miss USA and Miss Teen USA's moms say they were 'abused, bullied, and cornered'

"We always have the kind supporters who genuinely love MUO brand and believe in our core value of promoting diversity. I'm a trans woman and a mother myself who all my life fight for the gender equality rights to be where I am," Jakrajutatip added.

She concluded: "I do have strength to forgive this man and show the desire to the universe that LOVE is what we need in this world. Amen."

Jakrajutatip acquired Miss Universe in 2022 and is the first woman to own the organization. During her tenure, the pageant began allowing married women, mothers and transgender contestants to compete.

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Philippine debate rages on transgenders joining Miss Universe contest

Asia philippines.

Runner up in Miss Universe contest says move to reinstate transgendered constestant a mistake

Manila: Debate has been raging in Manila on plans to allow transgenders to join the Miss Universe contest after Donald Trump, who owns the Miss Universe franchise, reinstated Jenna Talackova, 23, as a contestant at Canada's pageant, after she was disqualified over issues on her true gender.

Miriam Quiambao, first runner up in the 1999 Miss Universe contest claimed that Trump's decision was wrong.

In a tweet, Quiambao, said, "In my humble opinion, the decision to include transgenders in the Miss Universe pageant sends the wrong message." 

Citing her arguments, Quiambao said, "The Miss Universe [contest] should be for natural-born women… Transgenders should not be allowed to join the Miss U because it's only for real women."

"Whatever happened to the ‘essence of a woman'?" Quiambao said in reference to a "true woman's" capability to give birth as a test of being a woman.

Cory Quirino, director of Miss World beauty pageant, a rival of Miss Universe, told Yahoo OMG that Trump's decision "will probably discourage natural-born females to join the pageant".

Because of that decision "three-fourths of the candidates for Miss Universe (in the Philippines) will be transgenders… and naturally-born women will lose their chance to compete in Miss Universe," Diance Necio, Ms Philippines-International in 2011, also told Yahoo OMG .

This should make the organisers of Miss Universe pageant decide to put up a prestigious beauty contest for transgenders, argued Necio.

Agreeing with her, Quirino said the existence of beautiful transgender females already "validates the putting up transgender beauty pageant (for them)."

"(In that kind contest) I think she (Talackova) will be more comfortable in a place where she is truly accepted," explained Quirino.

Assessing Talackova's campaign in Canada's beauty contest, Quirino said it was "to challenge the established order and an effort for her to gain acceptance as a female in the natural-born female world."

Lorraine Schuck, chief executive officer of Carousel which handles Miss Earth pageant, another beauty contest, told Bulletin that Trump's decision would not sit well with other beauty contests in the Philippines.

"We have religions here that are really conservative. We're talking about Muslims, Christians, Catholics. So I don't think it (transgenders being allowed to join Miss Universe contest) will happen in the near future," Schuck said.

Natural-born women would feel bad if they are defeated by beautiful transgender women, she added.

Meanwhile, Ron de Vera, an active blogger singled out Quiambao in criticising alleged bias against Talackova.

In an open letter to Quiambao, De Vera accused Quiambao, in his blog, of judging transgender women as "fake women… (and) thereby relegating them to second class citizens".

Arguing that Talackova is a "natural woman," De Vera said, "She was born with a brain that sexually differentiated into a female brain."

" I believe you are the kind of person who would favor the brain as the seat of (sexual) identity instead of the genitals," De Vera told Quiambao who raised up the issue of "the real essence of a woman" as a quintessential qualification for those who want to join beauty contests.

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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.

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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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The dreams of a 60-year-old beauty contestant come to an abrupt end in Argentina

Contestant Alejandra Rodriguez competes in the swimsuit category during the final of the Argentina Miss Universe pageant, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, May 25, 2024. The 60-year-old lawyer is hoping to make history by becoming the oldest Miss Universe contestant. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Contestant Alejandra Rodriguez, 60, competes in the Argentina Miss Universe pageant in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Contestant Alejandra Rodriguez, right center, competes in the Argentina Miss Universe pageant, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, May 25, 2024. The 60-year-old lawyer is hoping to make history by becoming the oldest Miss Universe contestant. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Contestant Alejandra Rodriguez competes in the Argentina Miss Universe pageant, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, May 25, 2024. The 60-year-old lawyer is hoping to make history by becoming the oldest Miss Universe contestant. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Miss Rostro Alejandra Rodriguez competes in the Argentina Miss Universe pageant, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, May 25, 2024. The 60-year-old lawyer is hoping to make history by becoming the oldest Miss Universe contestant. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Contestants perform during the Argentina Miss Universe pageant, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, May 25, 2024. Alejandra Rodriguez, a 60-year-old lawyer, is hoping to make history by becoming the oldest Miss Universe contestant. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A 60-year-old woman saw her dreams of becoming the oldest Miss Universe contestant in history melt away in a haze of sequins and selfies Saturday at Argentina’s annual beauty pageant.

Alejandra Marisa Rodríguez, a hopital legal adviser whose entry into the competition had been cheered as a triumph over ageism in a youth-obsessed world, fell short of the Miss Argentina crown. But she did take home the title of “best face,” one of several pageant categories including best evening gown, best swimsuit and most elegant.

Contestant Alejandra Rodriguez competes in the Argentina Miss Universe pageant, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

During the contest she thanked everyone who celebrated her success in the Miss Buenos Aires competition last month. Her win there, after Miss Universe eliminated its long-standing age limit, generated a frenzy of global media attention that vaulted her from obscurity to local fame.

In an instant the soft-spoken lawyer from the city of La Plata, south of Buenos Aires, was doling out moisturizer tips to women striving to achieve her surreally smooth face and promising the public there was truth to the adage that age is just a number.

“As a result of what happened to me, I believe a new door has opened for many people who perhaps did not have it easy,” Rodríguez told The Associated Press backstage after the event, still dressed in her red cocktail dress with slits revealing her legs. “It was adventure and I had no expectations of this other than taking on a new challenge.”

For the swimsuit portion of the Miss Argentina contest, Rodríguez chose a modest one-piece suit with a shawl draped over her shoulders, giving the crowd a shimmy as fans whooped and blew air horns.

But the judges preferred Magali Benejam, a 29-year-old actress and model from Cordoba who donned a skimpy blue bikini and sky-high stilettos to win “best swimsuit” and ultimately beat out the 27 other contestants to be crowned Miss Argentina.

“I’m so excited and so grateful to be here because the competition was not easy,” Benejam told AP. She will represent Argentina in Mexico City for the global competition in November.

Even Benejam’s victory would have been impossible a year ago, as the pageant had long capped the age of contestants at 28. This year, for the first time in its 73-year-history, the Miss Universe contest is welcoming any participant over age 18.

It’s just the latest in a series of changes for a contest that has been a lightning rod for feminist criticism since “bra-burning” protests upended the 1968 Miss America contest.

Contestant Alejandra Rodriguez, right center, competes in the Argentina Miss Universe pageant, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

For decades, the Miss Universe pageant openly described itself as an extravaganza of unmarried women in their late teens and twenties strutting around for judges to rate their looks and personalities. As more and more people found that troubling, organizers realized how far the contest trailed behind the culture.

Over recent years, as #MeToo and social justice movements swept the globe, Miss Universe raced to persuade skeptics it was more about minds and spirits than bodies.

It stripped away many controversial eligibility requirements, opening the field for married, pregnant, lesbian and transgender women , and it nixed all mentions of “beauty” from its website.

Yet, as the contest stressed empathy, confidence and authenticity as feminine ideals, the mentions of “young woman” remained in place, and with it, the ban on crow’s-feet.

While many women praised Rodriguez’s decision to compete at age 60, others questioned whether she was setting an unreasonable standard for older women. Her award-winning face, statuesque figure and sculptured features made her blend in with the younger cohort onstage.

“It’s contributing to a sense that everyone should be able to look like this, all 60-year-old women should have the appearance of youth and freshness, as if they were 25,” said Lala Pasquinelli, an Argentine feminist activist. “If they don’t, it’s because they aren’t willing to make the sacrifices.”

Resurfaced Video Allegedly Shows Miss Universe Co-Owner Saying Diverse Contestants 'Cannot Win': Report

The leaked footage is reportedly from a board meeting that took place in November 2023

• The alleged footage appears to show Miss Universe co-owner Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip saying that diverse contestants "cannot win"
• The footage of the meeting was given to media by Rodrigo Goytortua Ortega, who is the former CEO of Miss Universe Mexico, and was present at the meeting
• Jakrajutatip posted a lengthy response on Facebook denouncing the allegations, called out Ortega and wrote that the video had been maliciously “edited” to “manipulate”

In light of the heightened attention surrounding the pageant world following the double resignations of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA , footage has resurfaced of the Miss Universe co-owner allegedly stating that the inclusion of diverse contestants is merely for show.

In the leaked footage obtained and published by Vox on Wednesday, May 29, Miss Universe co-owner Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip is heard, during a board meeting in November 2023, referring to diverse pageant competitors while noting that despite their ambition for the crown, they simply “cannot win” because they don’t fit the mold of Miss Universe.

“The trans women, the women with husbands, divorced women ... this is a communication strategy, because, you understand ... they can compete but they cannot win. We just put the policy out there. Social inclusion, as people would say,” Jakrajutatip, who is a transgender woman and a mother, appeared to say in the footage.

The conversation continued, with Jakrajutatip allegedly adding her outlook on contestants with various body types. “We can have a casting for models of all different colors, sizes, whatever. Very big size … (But) we'll have to control the audience (lest) they vote all for the big size," she said.

The footage of the meeting was given to Vox by Rodrigo Goytortua Ortega, who is the former CEO of Miss Universe Mexico, and was present at the meeting.

In a lengthy response posted to Facebook on Feb. 26, Jakrajutatip denounced the claims made in the alleged video, called out Ortega and wrote that the video had been maliciously “edited” to “manipulate.” 

Related: 60-Year-Old Lawyer Makes History by Being Crowned Miss Universe Buenos Aires

“The malicious edited video was out of context and used to manipulate other people which led to the public confusion, misunderstanding, misinterpretation and wrong conclusion. I hope the world would not go round by this nonsense soap opera alike. I still don’t comprehend why this man, who I was so nice to him, would like to jeopardize me and the organization while we were talking about one of the new reality show episodes not the pageantry itself,” Jakrajutatip wrote. 

“I’m a trans woman and a mother myself who all my life fight for the gender equality rights to be where I am,” she added.

In response to the leak, on May 30, the Miss Universe organization released a statement originally dated Feb. 23 to USA Today . Like Jakrajutatip, they asserted that the leak was part of a malicious smear campaign.

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"In light of recent misinformation and attempts to smear the Miss Universe Organization, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the core values we have diligently defended over the years," the statement read, per the outlet.

"The Miss Universe Organization has worked tirelessly to promote inclusion, transparency, and integrity, and we will not be swayed by unfounded allegations. We have been informed of malicious attempts by certain individuals to tarnish the reputation of our organization by spreading false accusations,” the statement continued.

PEOPLE has reached out to Jakrajutatip and the Miss Universe organization for comment.

Related: Miss Universe Indonesia Contestants Allege They Were Asked by Organizers to Strip for Topless 'Body Checks'

On May 30, a day after the alleged video was resurfaced by Vox , former Miss USA Noelia Voigt, who officially resigned from her title earlier this month, demanded to be released from the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) she signed so that she is able to tell her side of the story regarding why she stepped down for her title.

“I am constrained by a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and would like to emphatically assert that, following the unauthorized circulation of my resignation letter, [Miss USA President and CEO] Laylah Roses' assertions in her recent statement that contradict my experience after three weeks of unanswered resignation notification are unequivocally inaccurate. I strongly encourage her to waive our NDA to enable me to speak," Voigt, 24, wrote on Instagram .

Voigt’s request came hours after an “ open letter ” was released regarding the wave of resignations . The open letter followed allegations that the Miss USA organization fostered an environment that included bullying, sexual harassment and an overall toxic environment.

"We are very disappointed to hear the recent false allegations made by individuals speaking on behalf of our former titleholder. We cannot and will not address every falsehood, but I will address a few here. The allegations of sexual harassment, toxic environment and bullying are not true," Rose said, per the open letter.

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Read the original article on People .

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."

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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.

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Video Meeting Bocor, Pemilik Miss Universe Sebut Transgender Tak Akan Menang

Skandal di organisasi Miss Universe kembali terkuak. Ada sebuah video bocor yang mengungkapkan adanya pelanggaran aturan oleh orang dalam.

Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, salah satu pemilik lisensi Miss Universe terlihat dalam video tersebut berbicara tentang kebijakan baru terkait partisipasi wanita transgender, wanita yang sudah menikah, dan wanita yang telah bercerai. Namun, kebijakan tersebut ternyata tidak sejalan dengan kenyataan di lapangan.

Pada November 2023, Anne Jakapong yang merupakan pengusaha transgender asal Thailand menyatakan bahwa wanita transgender dan wanita yang sudah menikah boleh ikut serta dalam kompetisi Miss Universe.

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"Wanita transgender, wanita yang sudah menikah, wanita yang telah bercerai.. Ini adalah strategi komunikasi, karena mereka bisa berkompetisi, tapi mereka tidak bisa menang. Kami hanya mengeluarkan kebijakan ini. Inklusi sosial, seperti yang orang katakan," ucap Anne dalam video yang bocor tersebut.

"Kita bisa memiliki kecantikan dengan ukuran sebenarnya, kontestan yang plus size tapi kita harus mengontrol audiens agar mereka tidak memilih semua yang plus size," ungkap Anne lagi.

Anne menegaskan dalam percakapan tersebut bahwa wanita dari latar belakang 'non tradisional' tidak bisa meraih gelar Miss Universe. Pernyataan ini mengundang kontroversi, mengingat Miss Universe telah membuka pintu bagi peserta dari berbagai latar belakang sejak lisensi dibeli olehnya.

Miss Universe belum memberikan komentar resmi, namun Anne Jakapong menanggapi tuduhan tersebut dalam sebuah pernyataan di Facebook. Anne mengungkapkan bahwa video tersebut hasil editan.

"Video yang diedit secara jahat ini di luar konteks dan digunakan untuk memanipulasi orang lain yang menyebabkan kebingungan publik, kesalahpahaman, interpretasi yang salah dan kesimpulan yang salah," tulisnya.

"Saya berharap dunia tidak akan berputar oleh opera sabun yang tidak masuk akal ini. Saya masih tidak mengerti mengapa pria ini, yang saya sangat baik kepadanya, ingin membahayakan saya dan organisasi ini saat kami sedang berbicara tentang salah satu episode reality show baru, bukan kontes itu sendiri," tambahanya.

Pada tahun 2018, Miss Universe mencatat sejarah dengan menampilkan kontestan transgender pertama, Miss Spain Ángela Ponce. Tahun 2023 juga menjadi tahun pertama bagi wanita yang sudah menikah untuk berkompetisi, dengan kehadiran Miss Guatemala Michelle Cohn dan Miss Camila Avella.

Selain itu, Miss Nepal Jane Dipika Garrett menjadi kontestan plus-size pertama yang tampil dalam kompetisi Miss Universe ke-72. Organisasi ini juga menghapus batasan usia, memberikan harapan bagi wanita berumur seperti Alejandra Rodriguez, seorang jurnalis dan pengacara yang berkompetisi untuk Miss Argentina pada usia 60 tahun.

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Foto Viral Pasangan Transgender India yang Hamil Pasca Setop Terapi Hormon

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A New Search for Ripples in Space From the Beginning of Time

As it studies cosmic microwaves, the Simons Observatory in Chile aims to help prove or disprove cosmic inflation, a notion that the universe expanded rapidly in the moment after the Big Bang.

Two of the Simons Observatory’s smaller telescopes, in the high Chilean desert, are already gathering data. The third will join in a few months, and the fourth, much larger, will begin operations next year. Credit... Simons Foundation

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By Kenneth Chang

• June 3, 2024

The universe burst into existence 13.8 billion years ago. What happened in that earliest moment is of intense interest to anyone trying to understand why everything is the way it is today.

“I think this question of what happens at the beginning of the universe is a profound one,” said David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports research at the frontiers of mathematics and science. “And what is remarkably exciting to me is the fact that we can do observations that can give us insight into this.”

A new $110 million observatory in the high desert of northern Chile, $90 million financed by the foundation, could uncover key clues about what happened after the Big Bang by looking at particles of light that have traveled across the universe since almost the beginning of time.

The data could finally provide compelling corroboration for a fantastical idea known as cosmic inflation. It holds that in the first sliver of time after the universe’s birth, the fabric of space-time accelerated outward to speeds far faster than the speed of light.

Alternatively, the observatory’s measurements could undercut this hypothesis, a pillar in the current understanding of cosmology.

The observatory is named after the foundation and its founders: Jim Simons, the hedge fund billionaire and philanthropist who died on May 10 , and his wife, Marilyn, a trained economist. Two of the four telescopes began taking measurements in April, in time for Dr. Simons’s 86th birthday on April 25.

“That was sort of the target that Jim set long ago for project completion,” Dr. Spergel said. “And we got there.”

Perched amid a majestically barren landscape at an altitude of 17,000 feet, the observatory has three small telescopes with a passing resemblance to ice cream cones and a larger one that consists of a pointable box, something that looks like a cousin to a “Star Wars” droid.

Traces of Ancient Light

An illustration shows how light from the early universe might have been polarized by the push and pull of gravitational waves as the universe expanded. The Simons Observatory will search for evidence of this polarization.

Polarizing influence

(gravitational waves)

Unpolarized

Polarization pattern caused

by gravitational waves

Normal polarization pattern

(no gravitational waves)

The telescopes gather microwaves — wavelengths longer than visible light but shorter than radio waves. Two of the smaller telescopes are already gathering data. The third will join in a few months, and the fourth, much larger, will begin operations next year.

About 60,000 detectors in the four telescopes will then study a cosmic glow of microwaves that fill the universe.

“It’s a unique instrument,” said Suzanne Staggs, a professor of physics at Princeton University and co-director of the Simons Observatory. “We just have so, so many detectors.”

For the first 380,000 years of the universe’s infancy, temperatures were so high that hydrogen atoms could not form, and photons — particles of light — bounced off charged particles, continually absorbed and emitted. But as soon as hydrogen could form, the photons could travel unimpeded. The photons have cooled to just a few degrees above absolute zero, and their wavelengths have stretched into the microwave part of the spectrum.

The cosmic microwave background was first observed half a century ago, a serendipitous hiss picked up by an antenna in Holmdel, N.J.

In the 1990s, a NASA satellite, the Cosmic Background Explorer, revealed tiny temperature ripples within the cosmic microwaves — fingerprints pointing to what the early universe looked like. The fluctuations reflected variations in the universe’s density, and the denser regions would later coalesce into galaxies and even larger-scale structures of superclusters of galaxies lining up like a cosmic spider web.

The Simons Observatory aims to tease out yet more details — swirling patterns of polarized light that cosmologists call B-modes — in the microwaves.

Alan Guth, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, proposed the idea of cosmic inflation 45 years ago, in part to explain the bland homogeneity of the universe. No matter in what direction you look, no matter how far out you look, everything in the cosmic microwave background looks pretty much the same.

But the observable universe is so large that there is not enough time for a photon to travel all the way across to equalize temperatures everywhere. But a rapid stretching of space-time — inflation — could have accomplished that, even though it would have ended when the universe was less than a trillionth of a billionth of a billionth of a second old.

Current cosmological observations fit with the cosmic inflation picture, said Brian Keating, a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego, and one of the leaders for the project.

But, Dr. Keating added, “to date, there’s no smoking gun.”

The accelerating expansion would have generated titanic gravitational waves that would have jostled matter in a way that would have imprinted B-modes among the primordial microwave radiation.

“The B-modes, these waves of gravity percolating throughout the cosmos, would be tantamount to the smoke from the gun,” Dr. Keating said.

For the B-modes, the scientists will examine a property of light known as polarization.

Light consists of electric and magnetic fields that oscillate at right angles to each other. Usually, these fields are oriented in random directions, but when light reflects off certain surfaces, the fields can be knocked into alignment, or polarized.

The polarization of light can be studied with a filter, through which only the part of the light polarized in a particular direction will pass. (That’s how polarized sunglasses suppress glare. When sunlight reflects off water, it becomes polarized, similar to how light in the early universe became polarized.)

The detectors at the observatory consist, in essence, of spinning polarizer filters. If the microwaves were unpolarized, then the brightness of the microwaves would remain constant. If they are polarized, then the brightness will rise and fall — brightest when the filter aligns with the polarization, dimmest when the filter is at a right angle to the polarization.

Repeating that measurement across a swath of the sky will reveal the patterns of polarizations.

There are two types of polarization patterns. One is called an E-mode, for electric, because it is the analog of electric fields emanating from a charged particle. Previous microwave observations have detected E-modes in the primordial microwaves, generated by the variations in the universe’s density.

The other polarization pattern possesses a characteristic found in magnetic fields. Because physics uses the letter B as the symbol to designate magnetic fields, it is known as the B-mode.

“They look like swirls,” Dr. Spergel said.

The gravitational waves would have shaken electrons in a way to generate tiny B-modes in the cosmic microwaves.

“Detection, that will be a Nobel Prize,” said Gregory Gabadadze, a professor of physics at New York University and senior vice president for physics at the Simons Foundation. “Never mind the Nobel Prize. The discovery of such a magnitude, who cares what prize you give it?”

The microwave measurements could uncover other major physics phenomena too, including the masses of ghostly particles known as neutrinos , or identify dark matter, the mysterious particles that account for 85 percent of the mass of the universe.

Perhaps the biggest challenge is for the cosmologists not to fool themselves.

That is what happened a decade ago when scientists working on an experiment known as BICEP2, for Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization, announced that they had found the smoking gun of primordial gravitation waves and cosmic inflation.

But within a year, the claim fell apart . The observed microwaves had come not from the Big Bang and inflation but rather from dust within our Milky Way galaxy.

To avoid repeating that mistake, the Simons Observatory will make its observations at several wavelengths. (BICEP2’s findings relied on only one wavelength.)

One of the telescopes at the Simons Observatory will be devoted to detecting interstellar dust, which radiates at higher temperatures. That signal will then be subtracted, which researchers hope will leave just the cosmic microwave background.

“It’s worth it to us to guard against having a repeat of the fiasco that hurt us before,” Dr. Keating said. “If that would happen again, I don’t think anyone would ever trust this field.”

In the aftermath of the BICEP2 controversies, Dr. Simons convinced competing research groups to work together at the Simons Observatory. “I joke that he basically forced a merger, leveraging his experience in the hedge fund world,” Dr. Keating said.

The Simons Observatory may still fail to find what it is looking for, or the data may be ambiguous. Perhaps spurious emissions from dust will turn out to be a bigger problem than expected, obscuring the primordial B-modes.

“It’s like looking at New York City through a dirty window,” Dr. Keating said. “Nature doesn’t have a contract with us to produce an observable signal.”

Or maybe there are not any B-modes at all. That would delight contrarian cosmologists who dislike the idea of cosmic inflation. One of the seemingly unavoidable consequences of inflation is the multiverse, that the universe continually diverges into an infinity of alternative possibilities.

“Literally, every possible arrangement of matter and space and time and energy occurs somewhere in this cosmic landscape called the multiverse,” Dr. Keating said. “Some people find that very attractive, and other people find it distasteful.”

However, all of the alternatives predict exactly zero B-modes. Thus, a successful detection would rule them out.

“It still wouldn’t prove inflation,” Dr. Keating said, “but it would narrow down the culprits from four or five to one.”

If the Simons Observatory does not detect any B-modes, that would not definitively disprove cosmic inflation. But it would make it harder to twist theoretical models in a way to produce B-modes small enough not to be detectable.

“The inflationary paradigm will be in great trouble,” Dr. Gabadadze said. “The majority will abandon it, and we’ll be looking for alternatives to inflation.”

Indeed, Dr. Keating said Dr. Simons, an eminent mathematician before switching to the world of finance, was among those who would have been happy to see inflation tossed into the trash bin of disproved scientific hypotheses.

“That would then comport with his notion of an eternal cyclical, or bouncing model, for the universe,” Dr. Keating said. But Dr. Simons was also willing to invest the money to find out if he could be proven wrong.

“His real love was in science,” Dr. Keating said.

Kenneth Chang , a science reporter at The Times, covers NASA and the solar system, and research closer to Earth. More about Kenneth Chang

What’s Up in Space and Astronomy

Keep track of things going on in our solar system and all around the universe..

Never miss an eclipse, a meteor shower, a rocket launch or any other 2024 event  that’s out of this world with  our space and astronomy calendar .

Euclid, a European Space Agency telescope launched into space last summer, finally showed off what it’s capable of with a batch of breathtaking images  and early science results.

A dramatic blast from the sun  set off the highest-level geomagnetic storm in Earth’s atmosphere, making the northern lights visible around the world .

With the help of Google Cloud, scientists who hunt killer asteroids churned through hundreds of thousands of images of the night sky to reveal 27,500 overlooked space rocks in the solar system .

A celestial image, an Impressionistic swirl of color in the center of the Milky Way, represents a first step toward understanding the role of magnetic fields  in the cycle of stellar death and rebirth.

Is Pluto a planet? And what is a planet, anyway? Test your knowledge here .

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Miss Universe Owner Caught on Tape Saying Trans Contestants “Cannot Win”

Video of miss universe board meeting raises questions about its trans owner's commitment to empowering women of all backgrounds..

By John Riley on May 30, 2024 @JRileyMW

Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip , the transgender co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, was caught on tape saying that women from nontraditional backgrounds — transgender women, married women, divorced women, and plus-sized women — “can compete but they cannot win.”

It is unclear from the video whether Jakrajutatip is referring to the Miss Universe Pageant itself — or a potential, separate reality competition involving pageant contestants.

Jakrajutatip made the comments during a Miss Universe board meeting last November.

During the meeting, Jakrajutatip said it would be good for the pageant’s image to allow a diverse group of women to compete.

“This is a communication strategy, because, you understand…they can compete but they cannot win,” she says in the video, which online news outlet Vox   obtained from Rodrigo Goytortua Ortega, the former CEO of Miss Universe Mexico, who was present at the meeting. “We just put the policy out there. Social inclusion, as people would say.”

Later in the video, another board member suggests opening up a casting call for a diverse group of women, of all races, backgrounds, and sizes.

“We can have real size beauty, the contestant. Very big size,” Jakrajutatip replies. She later agrees with another board member that “we’ll have to control the audience” lest “they vote all for the big size.”

She adds that the ensuing publicity from the casting call for all types of women will allow the organization to market Miss Universe products to consumers.

“It’s all connected,” she says. “For money!”

The Miss Universe Organization has not publicly commented on the video, but Jakrajutatip appeared to confirm the video’s existence in a Facebook post, saying her words were taken out of context.

“The malicious edited video was out of context and used to manipulate other people which led to the public confusion, misunderstanding, misinterpretation and wrong conclusion,” she wrote .

“I still don’t comprehend why this man [Ortega], who I was so nice to him, would like to jeopardize me and the organization while we were talking about one of the new reality show episodes not the pageantry itself. However, I do believe that his unlawful act wasn’t successful as we always have the strong clever fans who can distinguish what is real or not.”

She added, “I’m a trans woman and a mother myself who all my life [has fought] for the gender equality rights to be where I am.”

Jakrajutatip purchased the Miss Universe Organization — once owned by Donald Trump — in 2022 in her capacity as CEO of the Thai television production company JKN Global Group.

Last year, JKN filed for bankruptcy, and in January, Jakrajutatip sold half her shares to Mexican businessman Raúl Rocha Cantú, the former owner of the Miss Mexico franchise.

Cantú also appears in the video, but says very little. As reported by  Vox , Goytortua, who leaked the video of the meeting, claims to have released the footage after Cantú failed to pay him for his work.

The leaked video of Jakrajutatip’s comments raises concerns about whether the pageant is committed to inclusion and empowering women from all backgrounds, or whether it is simply trying to brand itself as “progressive” in an effort to appeal to a wider range of consumers.

As the first trans woman to helm the Miss Universe organization, Jakrajutatip was hailed as emblematic of moving the pageant forward in an inclusive direction, with the competition opening up to married women and mothers for the first time.

“I did accept the policy of having married women, trans women, and also pregnant women to be able to come into the competition, because I do believe in social inclusion,” she told Metro Weekly in a January 2023 cover interview . “Therefore I would love to encourage all women to have the privilege of having the same qualification to be able to come into the competition. Whether they win or not — that’s up to the judges — but I just allow them in.”

Technically, transgender women have been allowed to compete in the pageant since 2012. Spain’s Ángela Ponce became the first out transgender contestant in 2018 and Rikkie Valerie Kollé , of the Netherlands, became the second out trans contestant in pageant history in 2023.

Jakrajutatip’s comments come at a time when the Miss Universe Organization is embroiled in controversy stemming from the resignations of two titleholders from one of its subsidiaries, the Miss USA Organization.

While the winners of both the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants are under non-disclosure agreements even after stepping down, and have made limited comments in public, Vox  reports that both titleholders quit after allegedly being subjected to a toxic workplace environment and bullying at the hands of Miss USA Organization President Laylah Rose. 

Rose released a statement earlier this month saying she takes those allegations seriously, and that “the well-being of all individuals associated with Miss USA is my top priority.”

As the controversy surrounding the Miss USA Organization intensified, observers within the pageant world began questioning where the Miss Universe Organization stood on the issue, noting that Jakrajutatip has stressed the importance of celebrating and empowering women of all backgrounds in past public comments.

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A Georgia County Spent Millions to Deny a Trans Deputy Health Care. It Failed.

A federal appeals court rebuffed a georgia county's attempt to avoid providing insurance coverage to a transgender sheriff's deputy..

By John Riley on May 17, 2024 @JRileyMW

A federal appeals court ruled that exclusions in health insurance plans barring coverage for gender-affirming care for transgender individuals violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination.

In a May 13 ruling, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to uphold a lower court's 2022 ruling that Houston County, in rural Southern Georgia, discriminated against Anna Lange, an 18-year veteran of the county's sheriff's office, when it refused to amend a decades-old exclusion on gender-affirming care in its employee health insurance plan.

Judge Blocks Ohio’s Anti-Transgender Bans

Ohio's attorney general is demanding that a judge's order temporarily blocking the state's ban on gender-affirming care be overturned..

By John Riley on April 24, 2024 @JRileyMW

Ohio Republican Attorney General Dave Yost is appealing a judge's decision to block the state from enforcing its ban on gender-affirming care for minors and a ban prohibiting transgender athletes from competing on female-designated sports teams. 

Yost filed an emergency motion with the Ohio Supreme Court asking it to overturn a temporary restraining order issued by Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael Holbrook, which blocked the law's provisions from taking effect for two weeks.

Holbrook, a Republican appointee, found that two transgender minors and their parents, who sued to challenge the law in court last month, were likely to suffer "immediate" harm, in the form of reduced access to health care providers willing to treat their gender dysphoria, if the law -- which imposes penalties on doctors who prescribe gender-affirming treatments -- were to take effect.

South Carolina Bans Gender-Affirming Care

South carolina gov. henry mcmaster signed a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth and some adults..

By John Riley on May 25, 2024 @JRileyMW

On Tuesday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors into law.

The law took effect immediately and officially made South Carolina the 25th state to place restrictions on gender-affirming care.

Under South Carolina's law, health professionals can be disciplined for prescribing gender-affirming treatments, such as puberty blockers, hormones, or gender confirmation surgery, to patients under the age of 18 seeking to transition.

The law also requires school administrators to notify parents or guardians if a child identifies by a gender that does not match their assigned sex at birth, or asks to use a name or nickname other than their legal name or pronouns that do not match the sex on their original birth certificate.

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