Among the 229 contestants competing for the title of Miss California USA will be Kylan Arianna Wenzel, a 26-year-old transgender woman from Century City, Calif.
Wenzel will be the first ever transgender contestant in Miss California USA after the Miss Universe Organization changed its rules in April last year — Miss Universe operates the Miss USA pageant, and the local pageants that determine the state delegates.
Appearing on “Anderson Live” on Friday, Wenzel told host Anderson Cooper, “This has been a dream since I was 11. So I kind of just put it out to the universe and hoping it would happen. And then it happened.”
Last year, the Miss Universe Organization announced it was changing its rules and will allow transgender women to take part in all of its competitions starting in 2013.
The announcement came in response to a controversy when transgender contestant Jenna Talackova was disqualified from competing for the title of Miss Universe Canada because she was not a “naturally born female.”
When she learned of the rule change, Wenzel said she left her job as a shift manager at Jamba Juice to pursue her life-long dream of entering the Miss California beauty pageant.
“I moved my surgery up six months, I resigned from my job. Ever since then I’ve been just working on hoping to become Miss California USA,” she told Cooper.
Talackova ended up competing in Miss Universe Canada where she reached the Top 10 semi finals. The Miss California USA finals will be held January 13th. If Wenzel wins, she will represent her State at the 2013 Miss USA pageant to be held in Las Vegas in June.
As a boy: Miss Welzel, who says she has always felt like a girl underwent sexual reassignment surgery in August, in time for the pageant.
Kylan Wenzel, the first transgender woman to compete for the Miss USA crown, has revealed she has been waiting for this opportunity since she was 11 years old.
errrkkkkk!! natural-born women vs. them??? i really don’t like the idea. hold a pageant specially made for them, that’s better.
I agree…
Chance for thailand
Offending no one, but I believe they should have there own pageants. Even though, the world is changing every day, every minute, the ruling should be changed back to “born female”. Should a proclaimed transgender be examined to prove they have completed the surgery? What about people born with both parts? Will they be the next Miss Unverse?
I don´t want to offend anyone but i just don´t like to see trangenders competing with women, they must compete with trangenders; i love transgenders having their rights and i´m sure a transgender can be a great human being, a grat proffesionist and a great friend but for me Miss USA and Miss Universe are for women.
I don´t like transgende
we dont like you too because you cant spell……fix your words before you hate
I´m sorry Isis, what i wanted to say was I don´t like trangenders competing in Miss Universe, i´m nobody to hate anyone, you can see i didn´t end the message cause i changed it and sent it by mistake, sorry for the missunderstud
OK, ‘Miss USA, National Title’, and California is a STRONG state.
Woman can hide legs with jean, pant, use WONDER Bra…what ever
show their BODY best, and cover body worst. No prejudges, its a BEAUTY pageant, mainly base on FACE features,
Her eye not pretty, flat nose, long and narrow face, teeth just OK, but not good enough for Beauty Queen…Anyway, I think she CAN’T win at all. But atleast she try.
u must look SOOOOO DAMN GOOD lololololol
Let’s give her a chance. She is still human, thus, she/he deserves respect. It’s her choice. We will see who will win regardless of what’s between their legs are real or fake for as long as they have a good heart, sincere and beautiful then she can be Miss Universe.
If they can fool me its all good, but I’ve yet to see a transgendered female who can do that. Instead of announcing to the world you’re transgendered, maybe you should just enter to see how far you get. If you win, then by all means let the whole world know.
Off topic. Is it true that OLIVIA CULPO the current Miss Universe is a drunkard?
No. She accepted having a drink underage, that does not make her a drunkard.
It makes her a law-breaker though, plain and simple.
I find it ‘funny’ (not to use a stronger word) that people refer to Transexual women and to ‘real’ women… People don’t get it, do they? The prejudice is still there … in the 21st century, held even by intelligent and some ‘so called’ spiritual people… how disappointing! How sad! If it hadn’t been announced that this girl is a transexual woman, I’m sure no one would even notice it…
I don’t care whether the next Miss Universe will be a biological or a transexual woman, as long as she is truly beautiful and performs well throughout the competition in order to deserve and win the title.
Miss Universeis the most prestigious Gay pageant on Earth
honey u cant even differentiate gays to transgendered women……i guess u havent been schooled or wasnt given the chance to attend one
my heart goes out to u
I do not have a problem with transgenders competing in beauty contests. However, I do not think that it is fair for women who are married or with children to be denied access in entering beauty contests. If a transgender contestant is gay, and is in an unspoken union with her partner, given that gay marriage is not legal in all states, does that make her relationship less legitimate than a married women and therefore grants her access to competing? How is it that a naturally born women is denied access before a transgender is? Just some food for thought.
transgendered woman are not GAYS!!!!……and transgendered marriage is legalized in many countries as straight relationship married specially when a trans wom an have her name and gender changed to female…the union would be a straight catholic wedding…please before u make an arguement please learn the difference between GAYS AND TRANSGENDERED PEOPLE
you know why olivia win….coz trump believes ITS TIME TO HAVE AN OPEN MINDED miss universe….olivias answer on miss usa proves how amazing of a person she is and how open minded she is and how willing she is to accept the CHANGES this world has to offer and thats what miss u is all about…to EMPOWER INSPIRE AND ACCEPT EVERYONE….u know why janine lost….she was asked the same question about transwoman beng on miss u and she gave an IGNORANT ANSWER…and saying she have nothing against GAYS!…knowing transgendered people arent gays…….now u know why she lost shes not open minded enough AND OO PILIPINO AKO PERO HIND AKO KASING UTAK TALANGKA AT BOBO NG IBANG PILIPINO KAYA BAGSAK ANG PILIPINAS SA KABOBOHAN NYO MGA GAGO!!!…..mamatay kayo sa gutom….boto nyo lang ng boto mga PULITIKONG WALANG ALAM SA PULTIKA AT MGA OBISPO AT ARTISTA….tignan natin yang kaignorantehan nyo eh may mapapala….trans woman is a WOMAN!!!…..talk like a woman look like a woman and act like a womanm….live life as a woman is a woman….whats in between a persons legs doesnt define her gender but what she feels inside….the essence of a woman is not giving birth to a child but its femininity and grace as a woman……coz there are MILLIONS OF WOMAN who cant bear a child but that doesnt make them not a woman…..PWEH!!!
You need to accept that not everyone has the same opinion as you, which is what makes Humans so fascinating. We all don’t have to agree with X, some of us like the option Y.
It doesn’t make someone ignorant because they don’t want Transgenders in a International Beauty Pageant, it just means they’re Traditionalists. I have to say I agree with them.
When it comes to how a Transgender lives her or his lives, I’m happy for them to be 100% equal as anyone else, concerning marriage, kids, love, career, housing, safety and overall contentedness.
But would I want Miss Ireland to be a trangender ? No, I can’t say I like that idea.
It’s called Freedom of Expression. Get used to it, it’s quite a beatiful thing. You’re gonna struggle in 21st Century Earth if you don’t.
Just because some doesn’t have the EXACT SAME WAY OF THINKING AS YOU, doesn’t mean they aren’t entitled to that opinion.
ian ignorance is NEVER FASCINATING!…..opinions are accepted but ignorant opinions against oppressed people are never ok of whatever form…concealing ur ignorance and bigotry with the excuse of traditionalist is never ok…..some opinions are ok until they are taken serious and used as a harm to others…..like what they say….u cant underestimate a voice of a group of stupids…..its powerfull……miss ireland i see….so ur irish?….hmmmm ive heard from friends living in ireland irish are pretty accepting…..and i dated an irish as well…so pretty much u come of as a surprise……….beauty is not defined by what u are born with and whats i between ur legs…..its how u embody it in your own specials ways…just like being a beauty queen…and everyone have the rights to be a beautyqueen specially if they are beautifull and have the it factor…REGARDING IF THEY WEAR G STRINGS OR BOXERS
*Ahem* I never said ignorance was fascinating, I said Humans are. I love the fact that one can have an intelligent debate involving contradicting opinions. As long as no slurs are said, then opinions should be respected.
I never used any foul language or insults. I have a feeling you didn’t read my comment, or atleast try to see what I was trying to point out.
You keep saying people are ignorant. Yet I look below and I see that you have told people “stop ur ugly faces from commenting”. You obviously count yourself as extremely tolerant, yet your intolerance of a view counter to yours is mindboggling.
As for Irish people, I shouldn’t come as a surprise, we are accepting of most things, but I can vouch for my people in saying that we definetly wouldn’t accept a transgender beauty queen. And we shouldn’t be judged for that, by you or anyone else.
I just Love how you pointed your argument. true indeed!
Point out your arguments without name calling. and even cursing your own race! damnation..
Well said. Very true. Some Filipinos sure are do close-minded. It’s too bad they are painting a bad picture for your country.
so much ignorance on the comment box….lol…look people no matter WHAT U DO…transgender will be on big pageants NO MATTER WHAT U DO…so stop ur sorry ugly faces from commenting….and guess what most hate commenters here are FILIPINOS….the country where the TRANSGENDERED ARE MORE BEAUTIFULL than genetic woman…. BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA GOODLUCK KYLANNNN WE LOVE U….and thanks globalbeauties for not being ignorant about the said article….
With all the respect, I don’t think it is fair that transgenders compite with real women. If a real woman enters a pageant for transgenders, she would be in serious troubles. However, Mr.Trump should change back that rule or maybe allow them to enter the national pageant but not win. Just being honest. Sorry if I offend anyone.
I am not agree with the transgenders…they have rights, but they don’t have to compete with girls
A TRANSGENDER WILL NEVER MAKE IT TO MISS USA OR MISS UNIVERSE. THIS IS ALL A BLUFF FOR MEDIA ATTENTION. TRUMP KNOWS IT WILL NOT HAPPEN THAT IS WHY IS GAVE THEM THE RIGHT TO COMPETE. THEY WILL ALL FAIL.
Another controversy on the rise. This is America. Transgenders have the right to compete and Trump cannot afford an avalanche of lawsuits if their rights are being denied.
Miss Universe is for Gay people. Miss Gay of all the Gays
If you are transgender then that’s fine and your own business, however, I don’t think it is right for them to enter normal beauty pageants.
Normal? Ignorance rules in your brain Bonnieb
Word to that. I have nothing against transgenders but I too think they should have their own separate pageants and not to be included into conventional pageants specifically made for naturally-born women. Anyway, that’s just my two cents. Not intended to attack/bash transgenders or anything like that.
If MUO has decided to let the participation of transgenders into their pageants, it’s their decision and I respect that. However, I also echo the concern of several posters here who pointed out that this is only a publicity stunt by Trump to keep the MUO/Miss USA in the tabloids. I guess for them, bad publicity is better than no publicity. With the recent “track record” of some of the latest Miss USA titleholders and/or contestants that come to mind (e.g. alcoholism, DUI arrest, pole dancing, nude/topless photos, lawsuit etc) – in sharp contrast to the squeaky clean image of Miss America, I won’t be surprised if Trump decides to play and drag this whole issue up a bit just to make things interesting for the media.
Donald is doing this for fear of hate campaign from gay communities. He has a big business empire you know. Its all business that matters.
Trump is giving what “certain groups” want and he knows that these group wont have it. it;s just a smoke screen. another business strategy to appease the ppl.
i hope donald trump will organize miss gay universe so that transgender will not join the pure ladies competition
Trump will try to making news again—and will stretch this one very far for sure!!!!
soon, all women will be eradicated and female transgenders could soon rule the world together with men. good luck wenzel.
At least this one is beautiful…
God… I don’t want Miss Universe become a Miss Transgender.
“she” is pretty !!
i hope she can make it
I hope that in Poland we will never have a transgender contestant in the beauty pageant for women (Natural Born Women).
Sorry But I Dont Like It!
Horrible, nunca estuve de acuerdo con esto, espero que no llegue un hombre de estos a miss universo
Good luck Kylan!!