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FACT BRIEF

Did a transgender woman win Miss Nevada?

By Austin Tannenbaum
View this fact brief on The Nevada Independent
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YES

Transgender woman Kataluna Enriquez won the Miss Nevada USA pageant in 2021. The Filipino contestant, who designs her own clothes, went on to be the first openly transgender woman to compete in the Miss USA pageant, but failed to advance to the final round.

Few other transgender women have broken into the world of beauty pageants. In 2018, Angela Ponce became the first transgender woman to compete in the Miss Universe pageant after winning Miss Universe Spain. In 2022, Brían (pronounced "Bree-ann") Nguyen was crowned Miss Greater Derry, becoming the first transgender woman titleholder within the Miss America organization.

Transgender pageant contestants have faced discrimination. In 2012, Jenna Talackova was disqualified from Miss Universe Canada for not being a “naturally born female,” sparking controversy and a rule change by the pageant.

In November, a U.S. appeals court ruled Miss USA could exclude transgender contestants to preserve its “ideal vision of American womanhood.”

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Miss Nevada USA Hall of fame
NPR 2021 Miss Nevada Will Be The First Openly Transgender Miss USA Contestant
Yahoo! News Miss USA's first transgender contestant, Kataluna Enriquez, on being eliminated early: 'I think they were just not ready'
CBS News Miss Spain makes history as first transgender woman to compete in Miss Universe pageant
Yahoo! News Crowning of first transgender woman in local Miss America pageant sparks 'woke' criticism
Reuters Miss Universe changes rules to include transgender women
AP News US appeals court: Beauty pageant can bar trans contestants
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
The Nevada Independent
The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.