The new global women’s empowerment era is here, declared the trans owner of the Miss Universe Organization over the weekend.
“It has been 70 years that Miss Universe Organization run by men. But now, time is up, is the moment really, for women to take the leap,” said biological male Jakkaphong 'Anne' Jakrajutatip during the 71st Miss Universe 2023 pageant in New Orleans on Saturday. “Welcome to the new era of the global women’s empowerment platform. Welcome to the Miss Universe Organization. From now on is going to be ran by women, owned by a trans woman, for all women, for all women really around the world to celebrate the power of feminism.”
Critics pointed out the obvious.
The new boss of the Miss Universe contest proclaims it will now by run by women and will celebrate feminism, inadvertently forgetting perhaps that he is, in fact, a man. pic.twitter.com/MhRjcPFKWc
— Peter Whittle (@prwhittle) January 15, 2023
It’s not FEMALE EMPOWERMENT when the first “woman” to own the Miss Universe pageant organization was born a MAN.
— James Bradley (@JamesBradleyCA) January 15, 2023
“Welcome to the Miss Universe organization. From now on it’s going to be run by we men.”
— Alana Mastrangelo (@ARmastrangelo) January 15, 2023
Lmao, yeah, we know.pic.twitter.com/Lu554rFkxW
Listening to that transgender Miss Universe owner lecture the public on what it means to be a woman really takes the cake.
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) January 15, 2023
Jakrajutatip, the CEO and largest shareholder of JKN Global Group Public Company Limited, acquired the organization last year in a $20 million deal.
"Diverse cultures," Jakrajutatip continued, "social inclusion, gender equality, creativity, the force of good and of course the beauty of humanity."
Jakrajutatip also spoke about being "born as a trans woman."
“When I was born as a trans woman, I got bullied and sexually harassed by my own teacher when I was young,” Jakrajutatip recalled. “Plus, I was not accepted by society because they did not want to embrace my differences. But guess what? I chose not to surrender. I turned pain into power. And I turned life lessons into wisdom.”