âJust be yourself, and the world will accept,â a saying that celebrates individuality.
Today, homosexuality and queer identities are more acceptable to the youth than ever before, but their freedom to openly express themselves remains a constant struggle for the community.
Many transwomen have stepped forward to make their impression on national and international pageants in this battle for societal acceptance, equal rights, and freedom from discrimination.
And this historic moment occurred in 2012 when the Miss Universe organization called on transwomen to compete for the prestigious crown.
Many powerful Trans beauty queens have gathered their courage and have imprinted the world with their captivating presence during this revolutionary time.
One of the leading examples is
Jenna Talackova, who experienced gender dysphoria in her early childhood, began her gender transition at the age of fourteen, and later changed her sex at ninteen.
She entered the Miss Universe Canada competition in 2012.
Miss Universe Canada Organization, however, disqualified her because she was born a male, even though she had gender-reassignment surgery at the age of 19 and now identifies as a woman.
Talackova’s disqualification led to a nationwide cry for equality, acceptance, and justice.
Following this incident, the prestigious Miss Universe organization changed its eligibility criteria.
Soon, Jenna became an advocate for the rights of transgender and was the first-ever transwoman to create history by competing in the Miss Universe Canada 2012 pageant and made it to the top 12 at the grand finale.
The same year, she agreed to star in Brave New Girls, a reality television show based on her life.
During the show’s filming, she said, “I believe I am a woman who went through transgender procedures.
As soon as I started taking hormones, I felt more and more complete.
It’s amazing how everything worked out.” Jenna also took a brave step when she launched a Change.org petition calling on the World Health Organization to remove transsexualism from its current list of mental disorders.
Angela Ponce is another transwoman who created history.
As a child, Angela dreamed of being a princess.
However, she had no idea that her desire to wear a crown would one day become a reality.
The diva was first identified as a woman at the age of three, and twenty years later, in April 2014, she underwent gender transformation surgery.
In 2018, she participated in the national pageant and was crowned the winning title – Miss Universe Spain.
After her national triumph, the beauty queen worked with Fundacion Daniela, a non-profit organization for transgender children and adolescents.
She has also called attention to the high suicide rates among trans youths and the prejudice and abuse that trans people face as a result of their gender identity, particularly in situations where they are not legally protected.
She created history by becoming the first transgender woman to compete at the Miss Universe pageant.
Though she did not place in the top, Angela was grateful for the opportunity and, during an interview, stated that “My hope is for tomorrow to be able to live in a world of equality for everyone, simply for us all to understand that we are human and that we must make all our lives easier together.
That reality for many people is going to change.
If I can give that to the world, I don’t need to win Miss Universe.
I only need to be here”.
The beauty queen has since worked as a professional model for various agencies and appeared on the cover of some famous magazines.
In the same year, Mongoliaâs
Solongo Batsukh also broke barriers and participated in the Miss Universe Mongolia 2018 pageant.
Born Belguun Batsukh, she grew up as a boy in the semi-arid central province of Dundgovi.
She had no clarity on her gender identity until she learned about various gender orientations in her early 20s.
While working as a program officer at Youth for Health, she realized that she was a woman born in a manâs body.
She started wearing wigs, putting on dresses and taking hormone therapy.
She later pursued a modeling career and became a make-up artist.
Solongo is among the few LGBT people who have dared to come out of the closet in a conservative country like Mongolia.
She wanted to dispel the image that transgender women could only be strippers or sex workers living on the fringes of society.
Talking about her pageant journey, she said, “I wanted to inspire as many women as possible.
But Iâm still proud that I got the chance to compete in this contest, and the âSolongoâ I created was a true winner in my heart.”
Another successful example is
Angel Lama, who was the first trans beauty to create history in Nepal.
She made it to the top 18 at Miss Universe Nepal 2020 pageant.
Opening up during her pageant journey, she said, “I have come to Miss Universe Nepal to show the diversity of people in society.
It will be the biggest crown ever if I stand on that stage and showcase this,”
She also said her parents, who did not have any formal education, wanted their children to get married and have a family, but instead, she opted to work for the Blue Diamond Society, an LGBT+ rights group.
In 2018, she competed in an LGBT+pageant and was crowned Miss Pink Nepal, which helped her family accept her as a transwoman.
According to the data, Nepal is one of just a few dozen nations around the globe that accept transgender participants in national pageants and stands third in Asia after Myanmar and Mongolia.
Though Angel did not earn the right to compete at the Miss Universe international platform, her participation paved the way for many more aspirants.
The 9th edition of LIVA Miss Diva joins this revolutionary movement and gladly calls on transwomen to compete for the coveted crown.
Along with Spain, Canada, Nepal, South Africa, Panama, and many others, India is also taking a step towards uplifting the transwoman community with acceptance and recognition.
The organization passionately believes in the power of beauty to influence the lives of women and assist them in achieving their objectives, and establishing them as the new role models and ambassadors who celebrate women’s strength and have the potential to affect good change.
Spread awareness, be a change, and become the next LIVA Miss Diva 2021.
Apply now and
download the MX TakaTak app to submit your audition videos for LIVA Miss Diva 2021 Co-powered by MX TakaTak to start your pageant journey.
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