Trangendered Miss Universe Canada Contestant Takes the Stage

Trangendered Miss Universe Canada Contestant Takes the Stage


Pageant history was made at the Miss Universe Canada competition in Toronto Thursday night, as Jenna Talackova became the first transgender female to compete for the title.

The 24-year-old took part in the evening gowns and swimsuits competitions Thursday, wearing a white clingy gown with an open back during the gown event, then switching into a tiny white bikini that showed off her endlessly long legs for the swimsuit event.



It was hard to miss Talackova, if for no other reason than the fact that the 6'1 blonde beauty towered at least half a head higher over the other 61 competitors.
Talackova flaunts her curves in an evening gown. Photo by REUTERS/Mark Blinch



Still, Talackova didn't nab any of the smaller prizes handed out Thursday night that would have automatically bumped her to Saturday night's final round. Those awards included "Best Body," "Best Runway Model," and the "People's Choice" award.



While many see Talackova's hard-fought place on the stage as a victory for transgender men and women, friends and relatives of some of the other contestants say it's unfair that Talackova is stealing the spotlight.



Donavon Powell, who was there to cheer for his 24-year-old girlfriend, Vaughan Marr of Cremona, Alta., says Talackova may have overshadowed other worthy challengers.



"It's a little bit one-sided and there's a lot of focus on maybe Jenna and maybe the issues surrounding it," he told The Canadian Press.
Jenna Talackova competes in Miss Universe Canada. Photo by REUTERS/Mark Blinch



"I think it's good there's attention brought to it but I think it might be outweighing and overshadowing the rest of the competition in general."



Talackova has been the subject of international media fascination ever since she was disqualified for not being a "naturally born female" because she had undergone gender reassignment surgery when she was 19.



That drew a firestorm of criticism, leading to an online petition to have her reinstated that earned 40,000 signatures. Businessman Donald Trump, who owns the Miss Universe organization, relented and announced last month that Talackova would be reinstated.

Organizers admit that interest in this year's race has been intense, drawing twice as many reporters as last year. Visiting media outlets include TV crews from CNN and the American entertainment show "Inside Edition," as well as two Tokyo broadcasters.



The contestants will face more competitions and will be interviewed by the judges in events tonight, with the new Miss Universe Canada being crowned Saturday night. Source:

After much controversy and a rule change, the first-ever transgendered contestant competed in theMiss Universe Canada pageant in Toronto on Thursday night. Jenna Talackova, 23, is from Vancouver, and though she was born male, she underwent sexual reassignment surgery four years ago and was allowed to compete. According to the Daily Mail, Talackova was one of 62 women who strut their stuff in evening gowns and bikinis on stage for a panel of 15 judges. The winner will be crowned on Saturday. 

This androgynous fashion model poses as both a man and a woman 

Palackova makes her entrance. Photo by REUTERS/Mark Blinch

Back in March, Talackova was in the finals of the Miss Vancouver competition when pageant officials kicked her out claiming she lied about her natural-born gender on her application. But there were no apparent rules on sex change operations—the only requirements to enter the Miss Universe Canada competition are that contestants must be between the ages of 18 and 27 and have Canadian citizenship. In retaliation, over 20,000 people signed an online petition on Change.org fighting for Talackova's right to compete. 

Now there's another beauty pageant winner caught in ugly controversy 

Talakova enlisted lawyer to the stars Gloria Allred, who has represented Nicole Brown Simpson's family during the O.J. Simpson trial and Tiger Woods' scorned partners. It wasn't long before the Trump Organization backpedaled and updated their contest rules to allow Talackova and any other transgendered women to compete in future pageants. 

Talackova was much taller than the other pageant competitors. Photo by REUTERS/Mark Blinch

"This was all very much worth it, more than I could have ever imagined," Talackova told The Star. "What happened was a negative that has turned into a complete positive." She feels that despite the discrimination, she has what it takes to be Miss Universe Canada. "It's also a competition of health, fitness and charisma and those are all three things I possess.

Talackova is 6'1" and is studying holistic nutrition in school. While she technically only became a woman at age 19, she says she's no different than any other young lady. "I have two sides to me. There's the soft, subtle, calm side," she told The Star, "and there's the very glam, diva-ish side. I had to let that side loose a bit." To show their support 14 members of Talackova's family flew out to Toronto to watch her compete. We'll have to wait till Saturday to see who takes home the pageant crown. Source: