For The First Time Ever, A Transgender Woman Is Competing In Miss Universe

Angela Ponce has just been elected Miss Spain. Originally from Seville, this 26-year-old young woman had always dreamed of competing in this huge competition. Through Miss Universe, Angela Ponce wants to stand and defend this position for women, but also and above all those who didn’t come into this world with the body they wanted. Born as a boy in 1992, she knew all along that this wasn’t who she really was. In 2014, she had her first surgical operation and became what she had always wanted to be, a woman. A year later, she took part in the Miss Spain competition, but unfortunately did not win. But this failure didn’t put her off her goal, in fact quite the contrary. Angela Ponce has something to fight for and told 20 Minutes Spain that 'people don’t know what transsexuality is yet. They confuse it with cross-dressing.'

Some countries such as France still don’t accept transsexual candidates

It was a real struggle for some since the rules were changed 6 years ago so that trans women were allowed to participate in Miss Universe, yet none have won yet. But not all countries are this open-minded.

France for example doesn’t allow trans women to take part in their national competition. The stylist Jean-Paul Gaulthier, president of the French jury in 2016 and 2018, said that he 'doesn’t have the power to make these changes.'

The rules in these countries stipulate that candidates have to 'be born female' and they say that 'all surgical operations that change the major physical characteristics are not allowed.'

These restrictions aren’t just limited to beauty pageants. In the United States for example, Donald Trump still forbids people who are transgender from joining the army.

Angela Ponce fortunately was 'lucky enough' to be born in a tolerant country and plans to take advantage of this. Earlier this year, she competed again for Miss Spain and this time won, meaning she is heading for the Miss Universe contest that will take place in December this year. She is hoping to bring home this crown and take over from Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, who won Miss Universe 2017.