Miss Portugal pageant is won by trans woman

Next month, Marina Machete will be the second biological man competing for the Miss Universe crown.

The first transgender woman has ever been crowned Miss Portugal in the history of the competition. On Thursday, a biological guy named Marina Machete was crowned in the city of Borba in the southeast.

Machete has been a flight attendant for five years and is 28 years old. She had previously triumphed in the Miss Palmela pageant.

“Proud to be the first transgender woman to compete for the Miss Universe Portugal title!” Before the grand finale, Machete posted on Instagram.

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“I couldn’t compete for a long time, but now it’s such an honour to be among this amazing group of candidates!”

Portugal’s reaction to Machete’s victory was not universally positive. Rui Paulo Sousa, a member of Portugal’s parliament, posted on Facebook, “When I read this news, I initially thought it was a joke.” “For those young women who dreamed of [winning] the female beauty pageant, it is undoubtedly a sad day.”

Machete will compete for Portugal in El Salvador at the Miss Universe pageant the following month. Miss Netherlands Rikkie Kolle, another transgender lady, will compete.

It’s still a contentious topic in some nations when biological guys participate in pageants that are usually only for women. The Miss Italy organisers announced their intention to exclude transgender people in July. As stated in the competition’s rules from the beginning, “contestants must be a woman from birth,” according to Patrizia Mirigliani, the competition’s official patron, as reported by CNN.