"We are One"
"Transgender Miss Universe Canada contestant loses" but is the Real Winner in our Hearts
GIrls, Jenna has opened the door. Go for it. Hugs, Jennifer
TORONTO (AP) — The first-ever transgender contestant to compete in the Miss Universe Canada pageant strutted the runway Saturday night, making it to the penultimate round before losing her bid to win the title.
Jenna Talackova, 23, competed with 61 contestants and was among the final 12 contestants before failing to make the final five in the glitzy pageant. Sahar Biniaz, 26, claimed the crown and advances to the international Miss Universe competition in December.
Talackova, who was one of four contestants named Miss Congeniality, was born a male and underwent a sex change four years ago. The Vancouver, British Columbia, native was initially denied entry to Canada's pageant because she was not born female. Donald Trump, who runs the Miss Universe Organization, subsequently overruled that decision last month.
The 6-foot-1 (1.8-meter-1 centimeter) blond beauty, who towered over her fellow contenders while competing in the bikini and formal wear contests, garnered most of the attention Saturday night, soliciting loud cheering and howls each time she appeared on stage. Talackova's involvement in the pageant has drawn international attention since being denied entry and hiring high-profile lawyer Gloria Allred to represent her in her battle to be readmitted. The rules of the contest run by Trump's New York City-based organization say entrants must be "naturally born" females. But shortly after Talackova announced a news conference in Los Angeles with Allred, the Miss Universe Organization said in a statement on its Canada website that Talackova can compete "provided she meets the legal gender recognition requirements of Canada, and the standards established by other international competitions." Miss Universe organizers have not elaborated on the statement.
Allred said during Saturday's pageant that Talackova shouldn't feel too disappointed. "She's still a winner as far as I'm concerned," Allred said during an intermission. "She won an 'herstoric' civil rights victory and that I think is frankly more important than anything, any victory she would win, even representing Miss Canada."
Talackova is the child of a Czechoslovakian father and aboriginal Canadian mother. She has said that she knew early on she was in the wrong body. Her change of gender was hardly a secret before the event because she had competed in the 2010 Tiffany Miss International Queen Competition for transgendered and transsexual women in Pattaya, Thailand.
In a video interview for that pageant, she said she had lived her life as a female since age 4, began hormone therapy at 14 and changed her sex at 19. The controversy surrounding her participating in Miss Universe Canada erupted this spring after a blogger recognized her from the transsexual beauty contest in Thailand and posted about it. Miss Universe publicity director Brenda Mendoza has said transgender competitors are now welcome at all of its pageants around the world. But she says it's being left to the individual franchises to determine if the recent policy change is carried out.
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Comment by Caroline Grace on May 20, 2012 at 4:18pm
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Change that headline for this blog, will you Jen? Jenna did not lose when she stood up for herself and walked in dignity. She also made all of us winners, too, in the battle for acceptance and understanding. In my book, that definitely make her a winner!
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Comment by Jenn on May 20, 2012 at 4:50pm -
You're absolutely right Caroline. The headline in quote is from the AP story. Jenna, though she did not win the title "Miss Canada Universe," was a winner, having opened the door for transgender women to compete as the women they truly are.
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Comment by Wendy Winters on May 21, 2012 at 6:57am -
Jenna continues to amaze me. She is wonderful role model for everyone not just the transgender community.
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Comment by Sabrina Massiel on May 21, 2012 at 8:58am -
I think she did wonderfully. Some may not agree with her taking part in such a contest but obviously it was something important to her. Just for her courage alone I admire her.
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Comment by Allison Elizabeth on May 21, 2012 at 9:24am -
She is definitely a winner! There were a LOT of girls who "didn't win". She stood up there and represented herself with dignity & grace! Well Done!
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Comment by Lynnie Girl on May 22, 2012 at 7:47pm -
I am so proud of Jenna.. she has done something amazing for our community. The change that allowed her to remain was most likely due to several reasons.. one that Trump knew the publicity would elevate the pagent.. and the other if she was refused entry our Constution here in Canada would disallow the pagent.
In the end Jenna did amazing.. she did it with class and garnered the respect of many who were not really aware of our community. Your rock Jenna!
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Comment by Brenda English on May 25, 2012 at 8:30am -
Who won? Jenna won, of course I honestly feel she had no chance to win just because of all the attention and such. The emotions and contraversy would have been way way too much. In future years yes of course trandgender beauties like her will have an equal chance to win. However i have already forgot who else was in the pagent and dont care really, so Jenna really did win, she is the famous one from all of this. I think she willl get all the endorsement contracts and modelling opportunites. She is so beautiful............
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Comment by Paula Prizlupsky on May 26, 2012 at 8:39pm -
yes,but even though she didn't win. that's ok atleast she is the first and is regarded as a pioneer .nobody usually remembers who the 2nd or 3rd or etc.... she is the first.that is a victory in itself.
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