Donald Trump’s annual beauty pageant, Miss Universe, has announced that it will now allow transgender women the opportunity to compete for the hallowed crown following controversy surrounding the disqualification of Miss Universe’s Canadian rep Jenna Talackova, a 23 year old Vancouver native who was found to be in violation of the official rule that stipulates that contestants must be “a natural born woman.”
GLAAD spokesperson Herndon Graddick said that:
“For more than two weeks, the Miss Universe Organization and Mr. Trump made it clear to GLAAD that they were open to making a policy change to include women who are transgender. We appreciate that he and his team responded swiftly and appropriately. The Miss Universe Organization today follows institutions that have taken a stand against discrimination of transgender women including the Olympics, NCAA, the Girl Scouts of America and The CW’s America’s Next Top Model [ed: ANTM IS NOW AN OFFICIALLY RECOGNISED AMERICAN INSTITUTION? What the Tyra?]. Jenna and all of the LGBT advocates who have called for this change and spoken out in support of transgender women are to be commended. At a time when transgender people are still routinely denied equal opportunities in housing, employment and medical care, today’s decision is in line with the growing levels of public support for transgender people across the country.”
Speaking on The View, Talackova said that she has accepted an offer to re-enter the competition. Trump has also accepted an offer to receive grooming advice from Talackova. And let us not forget those without maps, without whom “our education like such as South Africa and The Iraq everywhere like such as…” would never be possible:
Via OUT
