Miss Universe Pageant Now Allowing Transgender Contestants to Compete

April 10th, 2012 - By Brande Victorian

Source: Strangecosmos.com

Today Miss Universe pageant officials announced that transgender women will be allowed to compete for the crown in next year’s competition. The announcement comes just in time for trials which begin this summer, and one week after the committee made the decision to allow transgender contestant  Jenna Talackova to compete this year.

The 23-year-old Vancouver resident underwent a sex change four years ago and was initially disqualified from the Miss Universe Canada pageant citing a rule that said she must be “naturally born” a woman. Jenna plead for her right to compete, saying:

“I am a woman. I was devastated, and I felt that excluding me for the reason that they gave was unjust. I have never asked for any special consideration. I only wanted to compete.”

GLAAD pushed for the competition to extend acceptance to transgender women in the competition and now both organizations are working together to revise the current policy.

“We want to give credit where credit is due, and the decision to include transgender women in our beauty competitions is a result of our ongoing discussions with GLAAD,” said Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization.

“We have a long history of supporting equality for all women, and this was something we took very seriously.”

Donald Trump, who runs the Miss Universe organization, will have to approve the final written rules along with NBC, which co-owns the competition, but the Donald has already said he wishes Jenna the best of luck in this year’s pageant.

Do you think transgender women should compete in the Miss Universe pageant?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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  • Jay

    I’m quite late on this, but I will say it. This person was born feeling with all thier might as they are a woman, and felt so much so, that they had a very critical surgery and more likely take hormones to make themselves feel complete. There is a difference between “drag” and “transgender”. To you what might seem like a costume is this person’s reality. This person has had one surgery more than any other of these girls had an oppourtunity to do. Before you start spouting on about all the “pains” it is to be a woman – most transgender women I know would gladly take on those pains if they could.

    As for something I read about transgender people being liars, come on now. Most of the cheaters I have met were “Natural Born” women. For whatever reason, men just seem to get caught more. Some of these transgender women I have met have stepped up and fought for what they believe is right in many areas. And another note – not all transgender women are born gay men. There are many “hetero” men who are transgender and still prefer women.So when it all comes down to it, people talk chromosomes. What if someone is naturally born as two genders?

  • Melodi

    Why don’t we stop all these stupid a** pageants, do we really need this anymore?

  • Ms_Sunshine9898

    Why is this allowed? Can’t HE do a contest with other transgenders?  Like a wolf wearing sheepskin, he can play dress up and insert props all he wants to, but at the end of the day, he is still a MAN just as a wolf calling himself a sheep is still a wolf. . .

  • kimbrbelle87

    I’m alot annoyed by this. She is not a natural born woman and should not be competing. The fact that the Miss Universe organization caved at the media pressure makes me sick! I support her right to live her life openly, without anyone infringing on her rights, but this is ridiculous.

  • Halleberry_4u

    We are a nation of diversity. If a transgender woman wants to compete in beauty pageants, then let them. If they are beautiful to place in the competition, then what is the problem? I am a woman and not at all threatened by a transgender woman. Way to go Jenna!

  • thomasclemons5

    Why do you continue to push this sick mess on people that do not or will not except this way of life.No one ask him to cut off his stuff.He cannot produce babies and this is a fact.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000595128061 Kbabercrombie Brown

    Im Apologize if i Affend Any one – Actually i dont!!!

    truth is truth – That is not A WOMAN. furthermore they have there own pageants why is competing in ours. like its different if she was a lesbian i have no issues with that. she’s a females who’s attracted & loved by woman. great!!!  now tranny’s are usually confused individuals & mental disorder’s are usually the case as well. even if they dont have the above i aforesaid above the fact that there allowing transgender – is BS Politically Correctness at its WORSTS. no to mention the fact that the beauty pageants are a Child hood girls TYPE OF THING what are you teaching them ????
    Its Bad enough American Teen Girls are ENOUGH screwed up in head with the MTV & VIACOM & other networks Glorify Pregnancy like its winning Contest ( sooo Disgusting ).or those Teem Moms and Teen Marriage’s….i swear the USA Has sunk To A SERIOUS ALL TIME LOW…really 
    SMMFH

  • Dreama41

    Never really been a fan of the Miss Universe pageant, and with this latest spectacle i certainly never will.  So now that transgenders can compete with natural born women in a competition that was originally created for natural women; does that mean natural women can compete in transgender competitions?? Or is it only ok for them( transgenders) to impose on competitions for real women but not the other way around. I suspect that if the situation was reversed; the transgender community would not be this accommodating . And why is a man-made woman accepted into a competition that judges WOMEN in the conventional sense of the word yet women who have borne children are excluded? As far as i’m concerned if your’re going to let a man compete in a women’s competition then there’s no point in maintaining all the other rules cause everything else pales in comparison.There’s going to be some serious backlash from this for good reason. There is simply no rational for this level of stupidity. 

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