Friday, Jan. 27, 2023
Did a transgender woman win Miss Nevada?
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
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