the beauty pageant Miss Netherlands 2023 crowned its new queen, Rikkie Valerie Kollé, the first transgender woman to take the title in the country. The young woman will represent the Dutch kingdom in the Miss Universe pageant that will take place in El Salvador later this year.
Kollé, 22, was crowned with a tiara by her predecessor, Ona Moody, on the stage of the AFAS Theater in Leusden on Saturday.
“I DID IT !!!!!” wrote the model in a post on Instagram. “Yes, I am trans and I want to share my story, but I am also Rikkie and that is what matters to me”Kolle commented. “And wherever you are in the world, I want to be there for you and be the example that I missed as a little me.”.
The middle npr explained that Kollé is of Dutch and Moluccan indigenous descent, and originally from the city of Breda, between Rotterdam and Antwerp.
According to her page, the recently crowned queen said that she wants to be a voice and a role model for young women and people queer.
The young woman will be the second transgender woman to compete in Miss Universe.
Angela Ponce she became the pageant’s first trans contestant when she represented Spain in 2018. She told NBC at the time that she “could never have imagined” she would make it to the final stage.
The 71-year-old competition began allowing transgender contestants in 2012.
The outlet recalled that more trans women have been competing in the preliminary contests in recent years. In 2021, the former Miss Nevada Kataluna Enriquez she became the first trans contestant in a Miss USA pageant. The trans woman and activist Daniela Arroyo Gonzalez will compete for this year’s Miss Universe Puerto Rico title next month.
It should be remembered that the beauty pageant format, the Miss Universe Organization, was acquired last year by Thai business magnate Anne Jakrajutatip, a trans activist who is also transgender.
She communicated that she is committed to advancing the organization as an inclusive platform and wants to transform the brand for the next generation. Previously, the format was owned by former US President Donald Trump.
“I don’t call Miss Universe a beauty pageant anymore,” said JKN Global CEO to Metro Weekly in january. “I call it a women’s empowerment competition.”
Keep reading:
“Why can’t a trans woman be in a women’s beauty pageant?”: Ángela Ponce and her tireless struggle to make a stigmatized group visible
A transgender model challenges social norms after applying to compete in Miss Venezuela
Source-www.infobae.com