The 72nd Miss Universe competition this year will feature two transgender contestants for the first time in its history, CNN reported. The news comes after 23-year-old flight attendant Marina Machete was crowned Miss Portugal last week. Ms Machete will now compete for the crown alongside Rikkie Kolle, who won Miss Netherlands in July.
Ms Machete, who won the coveted title is a 28-year-old trans woman who has been a professional flight attendant for the last 5 years.
''As a trans woman I've been through many obstacles along the way, but fortunately, and especially with my family, love proved to be stronger than ignorance,'' Ms Machete said in a video posted to the Portuguese pageant's YouTube channel ahead of the contest.
Meanwhile, Rikkie Kolle, of Dutch and Indigenous Moluccan descent, is from the city of Breda. She was born as a biological male. The beauty queen said she wants to be a voice and role model for young women and queer people and use her platform to empower others to fight against discrimination.
She further wrote, ''Through my commitment and strength I hope to bring about change in society. In the end, it's about being able to become who you are without issues, and that can happen when YOU want it to. Not only can I help you with that, but with the Miss Netherlands organization behind me I hope that my story as little Rik will become a story that we can leave in the past and not have to repeat on the generation of now. It is never too late and help is always ready. That has always been my guiding principle and I want to pass it along and spread it with my own story and experience.''
If either candidate wins, they will become the first trans woman to wear the tiara. Notably, the Miss Universe Organization changed its rules in 2012 to allow trans contestants to become part of the competition.
The Miss Universe Organization said, ''Trans women are women, full stop. We are here to celebrate women, full stop. This has been true for more than a decade, and we're proud to have made this change very early on, compared to other programs.''
Before Ms Kolle and Ms Machete. Angela Ponce became the pageant's first trans contestant when she represented Spain in 2018.
As per NBC News, Anne Jakkapong Jakrajutatip, a Thai businesswoman and transgender advocate, bought the Miss Universe Organization for $20 million last year, making her the first woman to own the pageant.
