Jenna Talackova, the transgender woman recently at odds with the Miss Universe Pageant, looks to have been successful in her efforts to have the rules of the pageant changed so that transgender females will be allowed to participate in the competition. Talackova and her lawyer, Gloria Allred, plan to move forward in hopes of getting pageants internationally to change their rules as well.
Courtesy Huffington Post
NEW YORK — A rule change that would allow transgender women to participate in the Miss Universe beauty pageant next year is a step forward for equality, advocates said Tuesday after pageant officials announced the policy shift.
Pageant officials said they are working on the language of the official rule policy change but expected final word to come soon. The rules will have to be approved by Donald Trump, who runs the Miss Universe Organization, and NBC. Trump and NBC co-own the contest.
The announcement of the policy change comes a week after the organization decided to allow Jenna Talackova to compete for Canada’s spot in the Miss Universe pageant this year.
While the move is clearly a win for the transgender community, some, including Susan Stryker, director of the Institute for LGBT Studies at the University of Arizona, wishes progress would be more focused on the day to day lives of transgender people, such as employment and housing rights.
“The next question is, can’t we move beyond beauty pageants and make changes in areas that have more relevance,” she asked.
She pointed out that while trans people should be able to take part fully in society, there are issues with beauty pageants overall, questions of “whether beauty pageants are the best way to advance the cause of girls, of women.”
