Miss Universe Pageant's Transphobic Holdouts

We are indebted to Jenna Talackova for cracking a glass ceiling and helping bringing down the odious 'natural born women' rule that discriminated against transwomen like her who wished to participate in their national Miss Universe system pageants. 

Thanks to Jenna's efforts the glass pageant ceiling has been shattered.  Policy changes have been implemented that will allow transwomen to compete in their national Miss Universe pageants starting in 2013.

Transwomen around the world who have dreamed about entering their national pageants just like any other cis woman and possibly winning it now can start working to make that dream come true. 

There are still some transphobic Miss Universe national franchise holdouts upset about the rule change and coincidentally both that have publicly stated so are Roman Catholic countries.  Thanks to the efforts of STRAP in facilitating an intelligent debate on the subject, the Philippines will not be one of them. 

Until STRAP got their formidable selves involved and changed the climate to a 'just the facts' debate, the Philippine franchise holders and public opinion was leaning in that direction. Banning transwomen from competing would have been problematic and a travesty in light of the fact the Manila based Amazing Philippine Beauties trans pageant takes place in that nation .

Mexico is one of the Miss Universe national organizations that announced on April 12 they would bar the participation of trans women.

"The rules have been followed since 1994 and it will continue in this respect as it has throughout the history of the competition," according to celebrity news website, Celestrellas and Univision.  

You're still hiding behind that 'natural born women' rule which even The Donald knew wouldn't stand up in court and even the Miss Universe system isn't backing.  So what's your excuse now to justify continuing to bar Mexican transwomen from competing? 

You may want to reconsider that hardheaded stance in light of the fact Erica Andrews won the 2006 Miss International Queen trans pageant in Thailand a few years ago.

The other holdout is Venezuela, which transphobically huffed, puffed and said the same thing.   Their pageant will be held on August 30 in Caracas and as of this writing there will be no transwomen on the stage.  

According to the Global Beauties pageant blog, Osmel Sousa, the president of the Miss Venezuela organization said during an April 24 press conference that "The Christian Venezuelan people would never accept the participation of transgenders in the Miss Venezuela contest.” 

There's a lot of things Christians 'would never accept' back in the day, Mr. Sousa.  There are some little c 'Christians' in my country who still think I'm 3/5ths of a human being and as a descendant of slaves shouldn't have United States citizenship.  

Stop hiding behind scripture to mask your transphobia.   Besides, your surgically enhanced cis women haven't been getting the job done lately at the Miss Universe competition stage since 2009 and the major reason you won in 2008 was Miss USA Crystle Stewart slipping and falling during the evening gown competition with her strongest event yet to come. .You may need to let some transwomen in to help y'all step up your beauty pageant game.

But here's hoping the transphobic Miss Universe holdouts eventually relent and allow the transwomen in their respective nations to compete for their national and Miss Universe crowns.