Miss Universe Canada Accepts Transsexual Contestant

[Deleted member 1957]

homorazzi.com

Normally, a 6’1″ statuesque blond making the finals for a beauty contest isn’t exactly newsworthy material. Difference here is that Jenna Talackova was born a male. Now a woman, Jenna is hoping to make a big splash on the institution of traditional beauty pageants. The 23-year-old Talackova is hoping to beat the competition and represent Canada at the upcoming 2012 Miss Universe competition. She began taking hormone therapy at age 14 and underwent sexual reassignment surgery in 2010.

As you would expect, beauty pageant purists are not happy with this. Some have argued that her acceptance by Miss Universe Canada raises ethical and moral issues. They feel that the Big 4 beauty competitions (Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International and Miss Earth) were meant for naturally born women. Good thing for Jenna that she’s Canadian. Under the Equality Law in Canada’s 1982 constitution, her application cannot be denied since she’s legally a woman.
She definitely fills out a bikini, doesn’t she? Back in 2010, Jenna was a Top 10 finalist at the transgender Miss International Queen pageant held in Thailand. If she wins Miss Universe Canada, she might pop up on a future season of “Celebrity Apprentice” since Donald Trump loves to put his former pageant winners on the show. He does own the competition after all. Canada has only won Miss Universe twice before with Natalie Glebova the most recent winner, taking the crown in 2005.

What do you think of Jenna’s inclusion in the Miss Universe Canada competition? A step forward for LGBTQ rights, or a disregard for the sanctity of beauty pageants? Or is it simply a publicity stunt?

 

[tigerrouge]

Well, at least she can't get banned from the contest for having been pregnant, if that archaic rule is still about. In this day and age, is it that difficult to arrange childcare for the winner of a beauty competition? Supermodels are popping babies out all the time, and it doesn't stop them from working a busy schedule while looking absolutely stunning.

 

[Heroin_Chic]

Not fair to let somebody who is biologically unable to have cellulite compete against women...

...on the other hand...considering the amount of surgery all the contestants have done, it`s almost "unimportant" if somebody had their sex changed as well...there is nothing "natural" left on pageant contestants anyway.

 

[Deleted member 1957]

I actually think if she hadnt had her face modified(which is evident) she would have had a career in high fashion she has the height, cheekbones and body

 

[TommyGirl]

...on the other hand...considering the amount of surgery all the contestants have done, it`s almost "unimportant" if somebody had their sex changed as well...there is nothing "natural" left on pageant contestants anyway.

This came also to my mind immediately, so she can pass it as a contestant on my part.

Off topic, but Miss Finland who is sent to Miss Universe still can`t have anything done, implants, fillers, nothing, it is in the rules. I am personally against all those procedures, but these poor finnish girls have nothing to compete with these half-android humans

 

[YoninahAliza]

I personally think this is awesome! Here in America something like this would never happen because people are such purists about pageants (and quite ignorant too) so it's nice to see our northern neighbors show us how it's done. I think since she's legally a women then she should be allowed to compete. But I've always held the belief that a person is whatever gender they see themselves as not what other people see themselves as. Because I'm sure some people are saying that Talackova isn't a women because she was born a male, thus they think she will always be a male, whether or not she see's it that way.

 

[jmrmartinho]

Oh how I hate Beauty Queens...everything is so fake!
But nevermind, if she is a woman its ok with me

 

[Deleted member 1957]

http://www.styleite.com/media/miss-universe-transgender/

 

[Squizree]

I personally think this is awesome! Here in America something like this would never happen because people are such purists about pageants (and quite ignorant too) so it's nice to see our northern neighbors show us how it's done. I think since she's legally a women then she should be allowed to compete. But I've always held the belief that a person is whatever gender they see themselves as not what other people see themselves as. Because I'm sure some people are saying that Talackova isn't a women because she was born a male, thus they think she will always be a male, whether or not she see's it that way.

I'm trying really hard to think of a response to this comment that's not rude but I just can't form a decent sentence. And go ahead and call me a "conservative hater" and all that crap but I think this whole topic is silly.
People's gender is determined by one thing only: nature. You do not become a certain gender, you are a certain gender, no matter how much plastic surgery you get or how "legally" you make it. Society and law is irrelevant. Whether this person likes it or not they are a male. They look female because of the exterior changes, but they have no control over their biology. We do not have the choice of choosing our gender.
This just proves how fake beauty pageants are, but I guess it was only a matter of time before they let a Mr become a Miss.

 

[YayYay533]

^Ignorance...

 

[tigerrouge]

Generally speaking, nature doesn't always do a good job of making gender so easy to delineate - there are plenty of people born with chromosomal and hormonal anomalies which blur the lines between the sexes - and how do you begin to unravel the mind, and why someone might mentally identify with a certain gender?

 

[dajrekshn]

sex is one thing - you're either male or female by pure biology (or hermphrodyte), but gender is something that's been socially constructed through centuries - so yeah, you have the right to choose if you're feel like it and thankfully there are laws who protect that right.

 

[YoninahAliza]

^Exactly, Dajrekshn put it correctly, she was born a man however she felt like a women. There is a difference between sex and gender. And gender is just a social construct that humanity has dreamed up as a way of categorizing people. However, in some societies their are more then two "genders," for example many Native American tribes have a third gender which they call two-spirit. Gender also depends on individual cultures, and not every culture is so ignorant to think that their are only two genders or two sexes (because some people do have both male and female genes).

I think since a lot of people were brought up with a western worldview in mind it is hard for us to acknowledge that others do not always fit into the social construct that has been created. People are different but in the end what what matters most to me is that they are a good person and they have courage to be themselves... it doesn't come down to what gender they are. Which is why I respect someone like Talackova because she's being herself, even if other's have hateful comments about it.

 

[Squizree]

I was in no way saying that this person had been stamped with a specific personality since birth and must stick to it. But when it comes to these issues I think that nature is far superior than any society or what it constructs.

 

[dajrekshn]

I was in no way saying that this person had been stamped with a specific personality since birth and must stick to it. But when it comes to these issues I think that nature is far superior than any society or what it constructs.

in what way?

 

[Squizree]

It's probably off topic and like I said it's mostly my opinion, but for a start nature is never compromising and always does what it has to when it has to, without waiting for anything. But in the thousands and thousands of years that humans have been on this planet nature has never diverted from the 2-gender system and humans have never ever developed the ability to control their gender. Like I said, this person only appears female from the exterior but biologically they are a male, and I'd rather base my opinion on nature and biology than what the person "feels" they are or what the law says.

 

[dajrekshn]

It's probably off topic and like I said it's mostly my opinion, but for a start nature is never compromising and always does what it has to when it has to, without waiting for anything. But in the thousands and thousands of years that humans have been on this planet nature has never diverted from the 2-gender system and humans have never ever developed the ability to control their gender. Like I said, this person only appears female from the exterior but biologically they are a male, and I'd rather base my opinion on nature and biology than what the person "feels" they are or what the law says.

oh wow. i can't say i agree on any of your points. for me, it's the person who dictates my view and my approach to him or her, not biology, so if person feels like woman and is building her identity as one (which clearly points to being able to control their gender - from medicine to social perspective), biology is the last thing i think of in making my opinion on his or hers matter.

each to his own i guess, as it's obvious there's no common ground in this discussion for us two.

tbh, i don't see this discussion as off-topic, it clearly points out our perspective in this specific matter. it's natural there's going to be a widening to this subject in order to discuss it.

 

[Squizree]

^ I think we have reached common ground - we both understand that it's culture vs nature, regardless of individual views. This is something that some people find really hard to grasp.

 

[Les_Sucettes]

^ I think we have reached common ground - we both understand that it's culture vs nature, regardless of individual views. This is something that some people find really hard to grasp.

Nature? What nature? If a person identifies as someone of another sex, it means nature was wrong and something needs to be done to correct the mistake. Doctors will help that person transform to the gender it should have been in the first place. You do not stop helping people that were born with problems because nature made them that way. Medicine exists exactly so we are not slaves to nature.

 

[tatouejeremie]

^ I think we have reached common ground - we both understand that it's culture vs nature, regardless of individual views. This is something that some people find really hard to grasp.

you sound -extremely- uneducated on the subject of gender

gender isn't a black and white thing for a lot of people, the bbc had a very interesting documentary on this issue a while back.. you should really check it out, you might learn something.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0139jv4