a transformersex 2026 contestants miss universe puerto rico The race has faced online hate over her participation, including from elected officials.
Gabriel Rodriguez Velazquez will represent the city of Sidra in the 2026 Miss Universe Puerto Rico pageant June 25thshe became the second trans woman ever to enter the competition. In 2023, Daniela Arroyo Gonzalez She made history as the first transgender contestant to compete in the pageant.
Ever since Miss Universe Puerto Rico announced Rodriguez Velasquez’s participation, she has faced transphobic comments online. social media influencer and conservative politician.
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In an April 16 Facebook post, Puerto Rico Senate President Tomas Rivera Schatz called it “shameful and disgraceful” for trans women to participate in the pageant and called on the government to withdraw all support for the pageant.
Rodriguez Velasquez did not return. defender’s Request for comments. But she maintains a strong presence on social media And she didn’t let her anti-trans comments deter her from competing in this year’s pageant.
“I’m living the dream,” Rodriguez Velasquez told a Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia. As for anti-hate, “we’ll gradually build up that shell to keep moving forward.”
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According to Miss Universe Puerto Rico’s profile, Rodriguez Velazquez (25) is currently studying to become an actress and is active as an artist in many fields. Website. In interviews with the pageant company and the Puerto Rican press, she expressed a desire for broader representation of trans women on the pageant stage.
Her participation comes more than a decade after Miss Universe changed its rules to allow transgender women to compete, following the disqualification and reinstatement of Canadian contestant Jenna Talakova in 2012. In 2018, Spain’s Angela Ponce became the first openly transgender woman to compete in Miss Universe.
“I want to be Miss Universe Puerto Rico because a woman represents equality and respect,” Rodriguez Velasquez said in a recent promotional video. scene magazine.
This article was written as part of The Advocate’s “Future of Queer Media” fellowship program. This program is morrison media group. This program helps support the next generation of LGBTQ+ journalists.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
