The issue of so-called “trans women” competing in beauty pageants has escalated in recent years.
Last year, Townhall reported how a biological male who identifies as a “transgender woman” was crowned Miss Portugal and went on to compete in the Miss Universe pageant. The man, Marina Machete, is a 28-year-old flight attendant.
Machete wasn’t the only man in the competition. Before that, a biological male, Rikkie Valerie Kolle, 22, who identifies as a transgender woman won the Miss Netherlands pageant, which Townhall covered. Kolle went on to compete in Miss Universe.
Before both of these incidents, a biological male in New Hampshire won a local Miss America pageant.
In response to all this, the Miss Italy competition's official patron, Patrizia Mirigliani, announced that it would not allow male-bodied "trans women" to compete. Predictably, backlash ensued.
Not to mention, Miss Universe filed for bankruptcy days before their competition last year. The show still went on.
Late last week, in a leaked video obtained by Vox, Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, part owner of the Miss Universe organization, said that it would be good for the organization’s image to allow “nontraditional” backgrounds to compete in Miss Universe. This includes transgenders. These contestants, however, “cannot win,” Jakrajutatip can be heard saying (via Vox):
“The trans women, the women with husbands, divorced women ...” Jakrajutatip explains in the video, which was given to Vox by Rodrigo Goytortua Ortega, the former CEO of Miss Universe Mexico who was present at the meeting. “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.”
In 2022, Townhall covered how Jakrajutatip, who is transgender, bought Miss Universe.
According to Fox News, the organization had its first transgender contestant, Miss Spain Ángela Ponce, in 2018.
Additionally, in 2023, the competition saw the appearances of married women, plus-size women, and, as we mentioned, “trans women.” The competition lifted its age limit, as well.