Transgender Miss Universe Contestant Disqualified After Confirming the She Is A He

Transgender Miss Universe Contestant Disqualified After Confirming the She Is A He

Jenna Talackova, the Miss Universe Canada contestant who was disqualified when the organizers of the Canadian beauty pageant discovered she was a transgender, said Tuesday she was devastated by the decision and wanted a clear change in the rules.

"I am a woman. I was devastated and I felt that excluding me for the reason that they gave was unjust," she said.

After disqualifying Talackova earlier, organizers of the Miss Universe beauty pageant reversed course Monday, saying she can participate in the contest.

In a statement, the Miss Universe Organization said Talackova can compete provided "she meets the legal gender recognition requirements of Canada, and the standards established by other international competitions."  The statement, however, did not elaborate what the requirements were.

Talackova, a 23-year-old Vancouver resident, also called on Donald Trump, the Miss Universe competition owner, to state clearly whether she will be allowed to compete in the contest and proceed to the Miss Universe final if she wins.

"I have never asked for any special consideration. I only wanted to compete. I also want Mr. Trump to clearly state that this rule will be eliminated because I do not want any other woman to suffer the discrimination that I have to endure," she said.

Trump said that according to the laws of the United States and Canada, Talackova should be allowed to join the pageant.

"As with any competition, the Miss Universe pageant has rules that apply to all of its franchises around the world. Such rules include, but are not limited to, citizenship, age, and marital status requirements. Additionally, the rules currently state that all contestants must be naturally born females," the Miss Universe organization said.

Posted by James Fried on Sunday April 08 2012, 8:08 AM EDT. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0