News: Miss Spain Is First Transgender Miss Universe Contestant
Image credit: Angela Ponce’s Instagram (@angelaponceofficial)
She may not have won the crown, but Angela Ponce, Spain’s representative to the Miss Universe pageant, made history.
At the Miss Universe pageant held in Bangkok, Thailand, Ponce made a powerful statement even if she did not make it to the Top 20, saying: “I don’t need to win Miss Universe. I only need to be here.”
Earlier in the year, the 27-year-old made history by becoming the first transgender woman to ever be crowned Miss Spain. As she worked her way through the pageant’s preliminary competition, she put up a post on Instagram declaring how it was an “honor and pride” to be part of Miss Universe’s history.
The post went on further to say “This is for you, for those who have no visibility, no voice, because we all deserve a world of respect, inclusion and freedom. And today I am here, proudly representing my nation, all women and human rights.”
Check out the post below:
Ponce is keenly aware of the political implications of her participation in the pageant, telling Time back in November that her getting to compete would be a win for human rights. She told the magazine “Trans women have been persecuted and erased for so long. If they give me the crown, it would show trans women are just as much women as cis women.”
Ponce’s participation in the Miss Universe pageant is a departure from the pageant’s former stand on transgender contestants. Back in 2012, the Miss Universe organization disqualified transgender contestant Jenna Talackova from Miss Canada because she was not a “natural-born” woman.
Talackova then went on to sue, hiring celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred to represent her. The organization changed its rules to allow for transgender contestants, and Talackova went on to place in the Top 12 of Miss Canada and win Miss Congeniality.
It was Miss Philippines, Catriona Gray, who would eventually go on to win the 2018 Miss Universe crown.
Congratulations to Angela Ponce for making history and to Catriona Gray for winning the crown!
To All Who Will Read This:
My best friend, since 1962, had sexual reassignment, sometime between October, 1969 – May, 1970.
He was 16 when the operation (s) was done; she is now, 65. Count the years…48-49 years ago. He began taking hormones at 15. He was dressing up as a female at 14.
My friend was considered one of the most beautiful transsexuals of the 20th century, but it was kept quiet out of respect for her family. Believe me, if my friend has gone to such lengths, she could have posed for Playboy…such were her curves but unexaggerated breasts.
All was done quietly; she needed little makeup; wore logical female attire, and dated straight males…none of them ever knew until she married the right man.
Publicity is much overrated. She has remained my friend for 66 years. I was 10 and he was 9. I thank the Lord for such a wonderful and faithful friend!
Wow amazing story Kasper! It would be great to interview her and see her side of the story. Feel free to ask her and get back to me at [email protected]
thanks
Dave
Wow the lgbtq community can’t even give legitimately born females their time in the sun, gatta go take that away from actual women, do they know the hard work and pain it takes to be a woman, not just physically, emotionally, spiritually, but i guess i would get bashed here because i should be one of those individuals who take the LGBTQ crap down my throat and say i accept everything thrown at me. As a bi man i think this is going too far, a competition meant for “natural-born” women that knows what its about should not be over shadowed by individuals who snip off their Penis, take hormone therapy, have surgery done to them to alter their male features to a woman’s and say because i feel i’m a woman you all should accept me as one. Now if they had a Trans beauty competition then sure go right ahead, but believe you me if a “natural-born” woman enters it and wins the controversy that would erupt would make head lines.
Hope and dream however much you want, but even surgeries and drugs don’t change the fact that he is just a guy dressed up as a woman. The PC insanity that allowed him to even compete in a competition like Miss Universe is out of control.
Why do you care?
So women are not qualified to represent themselves, they a man to represent them.
How insulting.
By “how insulting” were you referring to your comment? Because it is!
A trans woman is not a man. Get with the program!
@Dave its not a program to get with, as I said in my upper post and i quote “Wow the lgbtq community can’t even give legitimately born females their time in the sun, gatta go take that away from actual women, do they know the hard work and pain it takes to be a woman, not just physically, emotionally, spiritually, but i guess i would get bashed here because i should be one of those individuals who take the LGBTQ crap down my throat and say i accept everything thrown at me. As a bi man i think this is going too far, a competition meant for “natural-born” women that knows what its about should not be over shadowed by individuals who snip off their Penis, take hormone therapy, have surgery done to them to alter their male features to a woman’s and say because i feel i’m a woman you all should accept me as one. Now if they had a Trans beauty competition then sure go right ahead, but believe you me if a “natural-born” woman enters it and wins the controversy that would erupt would make head lines.” That competition meant for natural born WOMEN not natural born men who alter themselves to be women and want to compete with them on their platform is just beyond insulting to women. I remember a statement a friend of mines made about gay guys who fantasize about straight men wanting to convert them to being bi or gay what if women throw that in gay men face saying its time to turn you straight or bi, gays would catch a fit, isn’t there anything sacred or should be left in their lanes anymore?