Miss Nevada Kataluna Enriquez Will Be First Transgender Woman To Compete In Miss USA Beauty Pageant
Things are changing and how. From the LGBTQ+ fighting for bare minimum rights to most countries allowing same-sex marriages, society has most definitely come a long way. Even though Pride month was celebrated through social media due to the pandemic, it has still has scored some big wins, first with the French government passing the law that allows lesbians and single women to get medically assisted reproduction. And now with a transgender, Kataluna Enriquez, creating history by being the first to win the title of Miss Nevada, thereby becoming the first to compete in the Miss USA beauty pageant!
Yes, you heard it right. Kataluna Enriquez’s historic win at the Miss Nevada beauty pageant did not only create history in beauty pageants but also is a monumental step for LGBTQ+ communities across the world.
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Enriquez was crowned the winner from amongst 21 other contestants who had participated in the pageant in Las Vegas, USA. She is all set to write another historical chapter as she will be the first-ever transgender woman to compete for the title of Miss USA.
In a congratulatory post, Miss Nevada USA wrote, “Congratulations to our new Miss Nevada USA @mskataluna History made!” The post itself was a sight to behold, as it showed Enriquez wearing a shimmering sequin rainbow dress, accessorized with her gleaming new crown and sash. She looked beautiful, to say the least!
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What makes her dress even more special is the fact that she designed the dress herself to honour the entire LGBTQ+ community. In an Instagram post, she wrote, “In honor of pride month, and all of those who don’t get a chance to spread their colors.” She also added five heart emojis that represented the pride colors.
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Like most people from the LGBTQ+ community, this journey has not been an easy one for Kataluna Enriquez. She has been a survivor. In fact, her bio on the Miss Silver State USA Instagram account reads that she has “fought multiple challenges in her life” and now “uses her life experiences” for a platform that she launched. The platform #BEVISIBLE is a “campaign to combat hate through vulnerability.”
Her bio further talks about her journey and reads “As a survivor of physical and sexual abuse and a proud Transwoman of color, she aims to break barriers and represent those who aren’t always represented and continues to support numerous non-profit organizations and LGBTQ+ youth.”
Kataluna’s win is both inspirational and hopeful. It gives hope to the entire LGBTQ+ community that they can and should be a part of a society that accepts them for who they are. A society that doesn’t think that they are any different from them. The truth is that we need to build a world that is safe for all, and which not only accepts but also respects difference. Because as much as we’d like to ignore it, the fact is that we are all different in our own ways and we need to be allowed to express ourselves in the way that we want.
