The Miss Universe pageant is involved in a new controversy in which media and activist groups ask the question whether the pageant should start accepting transexuals or not. The Miss Universe Organization released a statement in which they state that only natural born women are accepted in the competitions.
Former Miss Universe and Celebrity Apprentice contestant Dayana Mendoza was on CNN to discuss the issues.
Jenna Talackova was disqualified from the Miss Universe Canada for not complying with the rules and requirements. The Miss Universe Organization also stated that its rules and regulations are applicable to every franchise owner in the world.
This is the second time beauty pageants are involved in this situation. In 2004, transsexual Chen Lili was disqualified from the Miss World China pageant for not being a natural born female.
Boundary and borderlines are 2 ways to describe. Miss Jenna has crossed the lines.
This is it….. a woman pageant for woman only. While a transexual pageant for transexuals only. Mixing them together into one pageant is the idea of those CRAZY MINDS. That will never happen!
I think people are quick to jump in the band wagon of ignorance instead of assessing the main issue. Miss universe is a beauty pageant for women. A transgendered person cannot be categorize as a woman because she is not born as a female but evolve and grow up to become one. It is not fair for real women to compete against transgendered contestants or vice versa. there are pageants for everyone; females, males, gays, lesbians and transgenders. Please pick your own battle and not make it difficult for everyone else who spent money, time and hard work in preparation to compete.
I don’t think transgenders should compete. Could you imagine a Miss Universe that is transgender I cannot its gross to even just think about it.
These problems will not happen if all countries agree to honor transgenders,
In my country, we have many beauty pageants for transgender, especially The Miss Tiffany’s Universe pageant, it’s the biggest pageant in my country also It’s broadcast live on television.
I think that Jenna was not wrong to do that, she do not have space for her only!
I think it’s great if transgender accepted by society as a woman because I’m a transgender. So, I know very well to the pain that people treat me like I’m a monster but thanks God I was born a Thai, the country with true freedom to citizens. You can insult my country is a poor country .. yes, we are poor but we all respect each other. Sometimes even they hurt my feelings, (It’s impossible if 64 million people in my country will think the same) but very rarely.
I just want you to understand that we are human like you, we are women. ( Why I paid a million to get the female body if I do not want to be a woman?), please honor us.
There are seperate transgender pageants in some countries, and Jenna should have tried to look for those opportunities. Of course, being disqualified from Miss Universe Canada, she get some publicity for herself, which should be beneficial in her future pursuits.
First and foremost Miss Jenna is absolutely beautiful. But the Miss Canada Pageant is the wrong pageant for her. She should give thanks to herself of WHO THE BEAUTIFUL WOMAN SHE IS TODAY! But she should not let her brains dictating to her of WHAT KIND OF A WOMAN she dreams? As Miss Canada, HELLO, will never happen. Nowadays, there are some International pageant for transsexual and transgenders, and for her to celebrate her feminity.
The Pageant has the right to set rules like being born a woman. This is not discrimination. She obviously knew enough to LIE on her application, which is probably grounds for removal itself. I doubt the transgender pageant would allow a naturally born woman to participate. It’s okay one way, but not the other? No offense but I’m so tired of hearing racism and discrimination from people that insist on being included, but also insist on having a separate groups or clubs or events.
As far as I know, franchise holders can make any rules they want for their pageants in terms of who can participate, but the eventual winner have to meet Miss Universe requirements in order to be allowed to compete at Miss Universe (18 years old, NATURAL female, not married, not pregnant, never had a child before, etc).
Dayana is lovely, but she basically evaded the interviewer’s questions.
Lol, she did the same thing with her final question at Miss Universe. Her body language made me think that she really wanted to say that the MUO shouldn’t have to re-evaluate their rules.
The transgender and M Canada made a big confusion. If the pageants have rules, we need respect this.
No publicity is bad publicity.
she is well aware that the pageant is only for natural born females why she still joins the pageant.. I know how great is her yearning to compete equally with women in a beauty competition and I know the hurt she undergoes when she was rejected because she was born a man. then that is a question whether the policy on Miss Universe will change because since Miss Universe is created exclusively for women… if this is the case, why not create another pageant that will be called Miss Universal Beauty where both women and transgender can compete as equal as Miss Universe…she also has a right to fulfill her dreams and compete equally with women in a different competition.
very well said Dayana friendly, congenial and very warm… no wonder why she won she really speaks from the heart and no scripts or faking it… very real and original Dayana you are always beautiful when will you come to Iloilo after visiting Manila in 2010?
Dayana’s obviously starved for attention.
Dayana should have said: if the Miss Universe Organization allows cosmetic/plastic surgery, then why can’t this transgender happened? After all, many Venezuelan and other latin beauty queens have some “jobs” done.
To me, if this contestant doesn’t have a masculine voice (that of a drag queen), then nobody would even know that she was born a man.
Drag queens….they have their own competition (and I am not even going there…~~~~) However, this is a special case, just like many other special cases where Donald Trump had to decide the fate of the contestant.
Look at this contestant…I would not think she was born a man. She is beautiful. However, the other girl/contestant in the picture looks more like a drag queen: poor cosmetic job!!!