Miss Nevada, Kataluna Enriquez, made history this year when she became the first transgender contestant in the Miss USA pageant. However, she was eliminated Monday.
NBC News reported that the 27-year-old model was eliminated before round 16 of the competition.
Before she was crowned Miss Nevada this spring after competing with a pool of 21 other contestants, Enriquez started competing in transgender pageants around five years ago, said the Las Vegas Review-Journal. She began participating in cisgender pageants in early 2020.
Politicians from her state sent Enriquez off to the Miss USA pageant at the River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, Okla., with words of pride and encouragement.
“I wanted to share my story and present that I was more than just a body,” said Enriquez of participating in the competition. “With pageantry, people think it is only about beauty. But it’s how you present yourself, what you advocate for, what you’ve done and the goals you have.”
Enriquez’s view of pageantry is shared by the Miss USA organization. Previously owned by former U.S. President Donald Trump as part of the Miss Universe competition, the pageant was sold to talent agency WME-IMG in 2015. It began accepting submissions from transgender contestants in 2012 and in 2018, Angela Ponce from Spain became the first transgender Miss Universe contestant.
“We are here to disrupt the stereotypical image of pageants and create a new stage for the world to reimagine pageantry,” said the competition mission statement. “We will create a space in which young women can access training and learn life skills to enhance their physical beauty while also nurturing their internal persona. We define winners as women with confidence to claim the crown both on stage and beyond.”
Apart from being an advocate for transgender rights, Enriquez is also passionate about mental health, especially after experiencing bullying while growing up.
“I’ve been in therapy since I was 10 and I love being able to understand myself and other people’s perspectives,” she said. “I’m an advocate for mental health.”
When Enriquez walks on competition stages in beautiful gowns, they also represent more than just her physical beauty. She often designs and makes her own gowns and dresses for others.
“One thing that is important for me is inclusivity, diversity and representation. It’s something I did not have growing up and is still lacking in today’s world,” she said.
Fans of the Filipina-American trailblazer shared their disappointment on social media when she was eliminated from the Miss USA competition this week.
Ellie Smith, a reporter at WHAS, a Louisville, Ken., T.V. station, ultimately won this year’s Miss USA crown.
Smith will go on to compete in the Miss Universe pageant next month in Eilat, Israel.
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