Mexico crowns second-ever trans beauty queen
Ivanna Cázares was named the second-ever Miss Trans Beauty Mexico. (Kamayut Online TV)
A Trans woman from Colima, western Mexico has won a national beauty pageant.
Ivanna Cázares was named the second-ever Miss Trans Beauty Mexico after a glittering four-hour event filled with sequins, glamour and red swimsuits.
The 27-year-old was one of 21 contestants who competed in the three-part competition, which held its inaugural edition in 2018.
After opening with a bikini segment the women were judged in a regional dress category, which saw Cázares don an indigenous-themed costume with leopard print and feathers.
Miss Baja California, who came runner-up, wore a grape-themed outfit in tribute to her home state’s famous vineyards.
After impressing in a final formal round, and answering questions on human rights and climate change, Cázares was crowned winner.
Miss Trans Beauty Mexico 2019 wants respect
She said that she now sees herself as a spokeswoman for the trans community.
“We want to bring a message to society of respect for the trans girls of Mexico,” she told the Associated Press.
Mexico is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for trans people, with 261 trans women killed from 2013 to 2018, according to the local LGBT+ rights group Letra S.
Miss Trans Beauty Mexico began in part to make trans women more visible and to promote inclusivity.
We want to bring a message to society of respect for the trans girls of Mexico.
Cázares, a communications graduate who owns her own beauty salon, said that the most difficult part of her transition was gaining acceptance from others, though she has always been supported by her family.
In recent years there have been efforts to give trans women their own beauty pageants, and some initial steps towards including the community in historically cis events.
Miss Universe welcomed its first trans contestant, Angela Ponce, in 2018—six years after the competition was opened to trans contestants.
