Black Beauty Reigns Over Us All

2019 has been been a historic year in the pageant world, and one we won't forget for a long time.

In 2019 all six of the major pageants, Miss Teen USA, Miss USA, Miss America, Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International Queen all crowned Black women as their pageant royalty

The Miss International Queen one based in Thailand is a pageant for transgender women.  Harvey was its first ever African descended winner in their 15 year history.

So congrats to Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa,  Miss World 2019 Toni- Ann Singh of Jamaica, Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst, Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin, Miss Teen USA 2019 Kaleigh Garris and Miss International Queen 2019 Jazell Harvey

And two of the women won with natural hair styles in Miss Universe and Miss Tenn USA.

Congrats to all these Black women who have made this a historic year in pageantry and one that has been a long time in coming.

It also drives home the point that Black women are indeed beautiful in all their marvelous shades.

Correction: Four Black Women Have Won Major Beauty Pageants In 2019

Been seeing the memes out there that have proudly pointed out that with only the Miss Universe pageant left to be conducted,  Black women in the US have won in succession the Miss Teen USA, Miss America and the Miss USA Universe pageants for the first time ever in the same calendar year.

Major props to 2019 Miss Teen USA winner Kaleigh Garris, Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin and Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst for doing so.   They are all accomplished women and I'm exceedingly proud of all of them snatching crowns in the same calendar year.

Even more impressive, Miss Teen USA Kaleigh Garris did so while rocking a natural hair style.

But people are forgetting the fourth Black woman who also made history by winning a major beauty pageant title this year, and she did so back in March.

Jazell Barbie Royale became the first Black women to ever win the Miss International Queen trans pageant in Thailand.  Her accomplishment was just as historic as the pother women being celebrated, but once again when it comes to Black Trans excellence, the Black community sadly is ignoring it.

Let me repeat for y'all that Black trans women ARE Black women.   When we rise and excel at doing whatever we accomplish, so does the entire Black community.

So what if the Miss International Queen is a pageant for trans women?   No Black woman from the African Diaspora had ever won that pageant in its fifteen year history until this year, and it had been 2005 since the last American woman had won it.

So yes, I would like to see it acknowledged that FOUR Black women have won major pageant titles in the same year.   If no one else will acknowledge that fact, I damned sure will. 

Openly MRKH Contestant In Miss USA 2013

We won't have a girl like us competing in the Miss USA 2013 pageant next month because Kylan Wenzel unfortunately didn't win the Miss California USA pageant.

I'll still have somebody else to root for besides the women of color and my Lone Star state representative when I watch the pageant on June 16 and see who  Miss USA 2012 Nana Meriwether crowns as her successor. 
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My friends in the intersex community are excited to learn that Miss Michigan USA Jaclyn Shultz is one of the 51 women vying for the Miss USA crown.

Jaclyn has a condition that affects one in 4500 newborn girls called Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome.   MRKH affects the reproductive system and causes the vagina and uterus to be underdeveloped or absent    Women with MRKH syndrome have a female chromosome pattern (46,XX), functioning ovaries, conventionally developed external female external genitalia and breast and pubic hair development.

In Jaclyn's case, as she mentions in her Miss USA profile, "Jaclyn is the proud spokeswoman for A Beautiful You MRKH Foundation. Since she was born without a uterus, this non-profit is close to her heart."

She has been working to spread awareness about MRKH and provide support to girls and women across the globe who are diagnosed with it. 

As Claudia Actorino said in the opening sentence of her post about Jaclyn, 'intersex bodies are beautiful.'

I wish Jaclyn the best of luck in the upcoming Miss USA 2013 pageant and continued success in her ongoing mission of spreading awareness about MRKH.


H/T  Claudia Actorino- 
 

Kylan Steps On The Miss California USA Stage Today!

Kylan Wenzel makes history today when she steps onto the Pasadena Convention Center stage along with 229 other contestants vying for the Miss California USA title.

She's the first ever out trans person in the United States to compete in the Miss Universe pageant system and has the goal of attempting to become the first trans Miss USA and trans Miss Universe. 

But the first and hardest leg of the journey happens today as she tries to become one of the 20 women left standing for Sunday's semifinals.

She was interviewed on Anderson Cooper's talk show yesterday, and here's the video from it.



Good luck, Kylan!

May Be A While Before We See A Trans Miss Universe

While trans women aged 18-27 now have the opportunity starting this year in the Miss Universe pageant system to enter the pageant and become Miss Universe (and those of us beyond competition age are happy for you) bear in mind it may take a few years before you not only see a trans Miss USA crowned, but a trans Miss Universe.

The Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants have been around since 1952, but it took until 1977 for an African descended woman to win Miss Universe (Janelle Commissiong of Trinidad and Tobago) and an African-American woman until 1995 (Chelsi Smith) to win both the Miss USA and Miss Universe titles.

And Texas bragging alert, Chelsi was from the Houston metro area as well.

As far as the Miss USA color line goes, Jayne Harrison made it to the top 15 as Miss Ohio in 1970.  Future Oscar winning actress and another Miss Ohio Halle Berry fell just short of making that history as a first runner up for the Miss USA crown in 1986. 

Four years later Carole Gist achieved that historic breakthrough win as the first ever African-American Miss USA.  She was also the first ever African-American Miss Michigan USA and nearly made it a clean sweep as the first ever African-American Miss Universe. 

Gist finished first runner up in the 1990 Miss Universe competition later that year in Los Angeles.  

So American trans family, be prepared for a possibly long wait until we see a trans woman crowned Miss USA or Miss Universe.  While many of the national Miss Universe pageants will accept the new open competition rules, there are some notable transphobic holdouts such as Mexico and Venezuela. 

But the bottom line as Jenna Talackova proved last year, to have a chance to win your national crown and be in the Miss Universe mix you have to be in the competition in the first place. 

For an American trans woman, first she would have to win her statewide pageant to get to the Miss USA stage, then win that pageant to get to Miss Universe.  If you live in competitive and populous pageant states like California or Texas that's a tall order. 

Those two states combined have won it 15 times with the Texas rep winning it 9 times.  If that transwoman is a Texan, she will find herself in a pageant that has more contestants in it than Miss USA (51) or Miss Universe (70-90 on average).  There have been years in which the Miss Texas USA pageant has had over 100 women competing in it.

The odds get a little longer if that transwoman in question also happens to be a transwoman of color. 

If that is your dream trans woman of color, go for it.  Prove me wrong.   Nothing would make me happier than to write the post announcing you to the world as a Miss Universe pageant winner and seeing current Miss Universe Olivia Culpo or a future one crown you.. And don't forget, they offer you a college scholarship along with all those cool prizes and that one year contract.  

And as Crystle Stewart and others former titleholders can tell you, it can lead to other media opportunities as well.

I'm hearing that some transwomen in various countries may attempt to enter their national pageants in order to qualify for Miss Universe 2013 and I wish them the best of luck in doing so.  

But seeing a transwoman wear that crown may take a while.     


TransGriot Note: First photo is Janelle Commissiong  middle one is Halle Berry, and the last photo is of former Miss USA and Miss Texas USA Crystle Stewart wearing her Miss Texas crown.  .

Karmic Wheel Going In Both Directions For Two Miss USA Contestants

Remember back in June when the buzz and drama surrounding Jenna Talackova's participation in the Miss Canada Universe pageant was still on the minds of folks inside and outside the pageant world?

People were divided into two camps over the Miss Universe organization's decision to allow trans women to compete starting in 2013. 

That drama over trans women being allowed to compete showed up during the 2012 Miss USA pageant as Miss Rhode Island Olivia Culpo, one of the five finalists this year was asked a question on the trans pageant competition issue..

Would it be fair for a person born a man to be named Miss Universe after becoming a woman?


Her answer::  

"I do think it would be fair..." because "there are so many people who have a need to change for a happier life. I do accept that because I believe it's a free country."

Well, she went on to be named Miss USA and on December 19 became the first American in 15 years to be chosen Miss Universe since Hawaii's Brook Mahelani Lee won the title in 1997.

Meanwhile one of the transphobes on the other side of it, former Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin, made these sour grapes tinged comments when she gave up her crown on June 5 after failing to make it into the Top 15.

"I refuse to be part of a pageant system that has so far and so completely removed itself from its foundational principles as to allow and support natural born males to compete in it. This goes against ever moral fiber of my being. I believe in integrity, high moral character, and fair play, none of which are part of this system any longer."


Miss Moral Fiber 2012 went on to put her pumps in her mouth and claim the Miss USA pageant was rigged.  Miss Universe organization officials asserted Monnin's allegations on Facebook and NBC's "Today" show cost them a $5 million fee from a potential 2013 sponsor.  The Donald sued after giving Monnin 24 hours to retract the statements.
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 The case went to arbitration and Sheena Monnin now owes the Miss Universe organization $5 million dollars after she lost her defamation suit.   A judge found she did defame the organization and awarded damages. 

Hmm.   Let's compare and contrast shall we?   The transwoman you hated on (and by extension the worldwide trans community) made it to the Top 16 of her national pageant, tied for the Miss Congeniality award with three other women, and did so with dignity and class while having the world's media focused on her. 

Meanwhile you didn't even make it out of the preliminary rounds of the Miss USA pageant and showed no class while doing so.

Jenna Talackova and Olivia Culpo have more class in their pinky fingers than Sheena Monnin has in her entire nekulturny body, and the karmic wheel has smiled upon both of them. 

Meanwhile, we are observing in real time what the karmic wheel is doing unto Sheena.
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Miss USA 2012 Is A Sistah!

If you've watched pageants, you've heard the hosts say their spiel before they announce the winner how important the first runner up position is if the winner of said pageant can't continue in their duties, et cetera.  

In the wake of Olivia Culpo winning Miss Universe 2012 on Tuesday, that meant the first runner up gets to ascend to become Miss USA.

In that competition back in June 27 year old Miss Maryland USA Nana Meriwether was the first runner up.  She now moves up to become Miss USA 2012 and the sixth African-American woman to wear the Miss USA crown.  

Congratulation Nana! 

She'll handle the Miss USA duties until she crowns her successor in June 2013. 

Sheena Monnin's Faith Based Sour Grapes

Been following the twists and turns of former Miss Pennsylvania USA Sheena Monnin flapping her gums in the wake of her June 4 resignation over so far unsubstantiated allegations that the 2012 Miss USA pageant was 'fixed'.  She also claimed her resignation was based on her right wing 'moral fiber' belief that trans contestants should not be permitted to compete in the pageant.

Yeah, right  Miss Thang.   . 

The Donald is suing her for defamation on that pageant fixing claim and Miss USA officials released the text of the resignation e-mail they received from her.the day after the pageant was held in Las Vegas on June 3.

Can you say transphobia?   Thought you could.

“I refuse to be part of a pageant system that has so far and so completely removed itself from its foundational principles as to allow and support natural born males to compete in it. This goes against ever (sic) moral fiber of my being.”

Yo, Sheena, what the hell is a 'natural born male'?  Never heard of that.

However, bigotry and discrimination goes against my moral fiber. It disgusts me even more when I see people like you who sanctimoniously express transphobic bigotry try to hide behind the Bible while doing so. 

I wonder if your 27 year old hypocritical azz would have resigned if you'd won the Miss USA title instead of Olivia Culpo.  With the revelations coming out about you I thank God you didn't. 

I don't know why you're complaining about transwomen being allowed to compete in the Miss Universe pageant system when there were none competing in this year's USA pageant because the long needed rule change happened far too late for any transwoman to enter it.

Sheena, let's continue to tell it like it T-I-S is shall we? Seems to me you're drinking hateraid from 55 gallon drums when it comes to #girlslikeus. 

Hmm.  You were one of two of the oldest women in this year's event at age 27 and couldn't even crack the top 16 in a 51 woman pageant field consisting of all 'natural born women' while South Carolina's Erika Powell, the other 27 year old contestant did.  

And you threw catty shade at Miss South Carolina for doing so. 

Hating on Jenna Talackova because she's 24, made the Top 16 in Canada's national pageant and shared the Miss Congeniality award with three other women?  Jenna Talackova has more class in her pinky finger than you have in your entire nekulturny body

Makes me wonder what your reaction would have been if the Miss USA 2012 pageant had a open transwoman entered much less made it to the top 16.   

Oops, never mind.  Based on your previous transphobic comment I can reasonably deduce that and the transphobic crap you would have tweeted from backstage.  I submit it wouldn't have been as compassionate as you claim you are on the Miss Pennsylvania website, have exhibited on this issue or toward fellow Miss USA 2012 contestants.
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I'd daresay than when the Miss USA-Universe pageant system finally does have a trans contestant competing in it, I'm confident that the trans contestant in question will probably go much farther and with a lot more character, class and moral fiber than you exhibited in this 2012 edition.

Shannon, here's some career advice for you.  Why don't you apply at Fox Noise since they need fresh fembots with 'moral fiber' and jacked up conservative attitudes to stick in front of their cameras?

Miss USA 2012 Says Trans Competitor Would Be Okay

Was focused on watching other things besides the Miss USA 2012 pageant Sunday night but was happy to hear about what the new Miss USA Olivia Culpo from Rhode Island had to say during her five finalist Q&A.  

The question she was asked was: would it be fair for a person born a man to be named Miss Universe after becoming a woman?

Y'all know what the TransGriot and a majority of the transfeminine community's answer to that question would be, but we weren't on the stage standing in Ms Culpo's pumps competing for a shot at the Miss USA Universe title

And she proved (so far) she isn't Carrie Prejean or a radfem.

"I do think it would be fair..." because "there are so many people who have a need to change for a happier life. I do accept that because I believe it's a free country."

Time will tell how much of an ally she is to our community, but she definitely is well on the way to making a lot of trans female friends.   The opening of the Miss Universe system starting in 2013 to transwomen is still a contentious subject as cis women have come down on both sides of the issue.    

But thanks to Miss USA 2012 for standing up for fairness.