Have you ever seen anything as gay as a beauty pageant?
Things like glitter and sequins, big hair, fabulous shoes, song and dance numbers, and over-the-top shows–dare I say pageantry–are about as gay as it gets, folks.
I’m not trying to be stereotypical. Or judgmental. I have several gay friends, so please no hate. I’m just sayin’: Pageants are pretty darn gay.
So why shouldn’t a transgender woman be allowed to participate?
Ok, I’ll back up. If you haven’t heard the story, Jenna Talackova was born Walter. Jenna says that she knew she was a girl by the time she was four years old. She eventually had gender reassignment surgery so that she could appear the way on the outside that she felt on the inside. The Canadian government recognizes her as female, without question.
Jenna was a contestant in the Miss Universe Pageant in Canada, but was disqualified because it was discovered that she was not born female. Later, Donald Trump and his Miss Universe Organization reversed a previous rule that barred Jenna from competing. She is now able to compete in the Miss Universe Canada pageant.
I am of the opinion that Jenna should be allowed to compete.
Jenna is heterosexual and has a boyfriend, whom she says is supportive of her situation. I do not mean to lump her in with homosexual people when I say pageants are “gay.” However, the acronym LGBT–which is commonly used to describe individuals identifying as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender–would give me some liberty to include Jenna in this group. And my comment about pageants being gay was just humor, anyway, so relax.
The point is that of course Jenna is a woman. Legally, physically, emotionally… everything about her is female. Why shouldn’t she be able to participate in the pageant?
I’m glad Trump and his people agree (even though Donald posted this really weird thing about Jenna’s name on Twitter and this kinda rude thing about her lawyer). And I hope it paves the way for more women like Jenna to enter pageants, if that’s what they really want to do. (Some transgender women are against Jenna entering the pageant because they view it as demeaning, a common feminist viewpoint. Not what I’m trying to argue today.)
Good luck to Jenna in her run for the crown. I hope she receives nothing but support, but I know it will be a hard road for her. Not too many people understand what it means to be transgender. I pray that it doesn’t result in mean treatment of Jenna during her time in the pageant.
Related articles
- Jenna Talackova: I Was Born in the Wrong Body (thehollywoodgossip.com)
