Spain’s representative at the 2018 Miss Universe beauty pageant is actually a transgender
Angela Ponce, who was crowned Miss Spain earlier in the year, is the first transgender contestant in the pageant’s 66-year history.
Ponce discussed the discrimination LGBT people face with ABS-CBN:
She said:
“Trans women have been persecuted and erased for so long. I’m showing that trans women can be whatever they want.
“I am proud to have the opportunity to use this platform for a message of inclusion, tolerance and respect for the LGBT+ community.
“I was born into a world, into a society which really wasn’t prepared for me. I had the support of my family, but I still faced discrimination, and I had no role models.
“So many children face discrimination for being different. It is important to tell them they have a right to be who they are, who they want to be.”
