Text Credits: Shibul Pavithran

LGBT Pride Month might be over but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate this latest victory for the LGBTQ community. Angela Ponce made history when she became the first transgender contestant to compete at the Miss Universe Pageant. The 26 year old model, from Seville, will be representing her country at the global competition in Philippines this December, after beating 22 other contestants for the Miss Spain crown, in the Spanish city of Tarragona.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk and Avaxnews

Ponce was born a male, and at the age of 11 he discovered what transsexuality was and started the journey for transforming into a female. She said that since she was a child, she knew she wasn’t like all the other boys she knew. In 2014, Ponce had surgery to complete her transition from a male to a female. She also underwent years of hormone therapy.

She first made her big appearance on the pageant scene in 2015 at the Miss World Spain contest representing Cadiz. She lost out on the title to Miss Barcelona Mireia Lalaguna Royo, who went on to win the Miss World title in China that year. BUT OH BOY, WHAT A COMEBACK!

Hoy marcho para recordar que no soy solamente un “yo”, también soy un “nosotros”. Y nosotros marchamos con orgullo. . . #pride #orgullo #libertad #tolerancia #derechoaser

A post shared by ANGELA PONCE (@angelaponceofficial) on Jul 7, 2018 at 4:09pm PDT

“Bringing the name and colors of Spain before the universe is my great dream,” Ponce wrote on Instagram after she won. “My goal is to be a spokesperson for a message of inclusion, respect and diversity not only for the LGBTQ+ community, but also for the entire world.”

Llevar el nombre y los colores de España ante el Universo es mi gran sueño. Mi objetivo: ser portavoz de un mensaje de inclusión, respeto y diversidad no solo para la comunidad LGBTQ+ sino para el mundo entero. . . #soybemiss #somosmasdeloqueves #missuniversespain2018 @orgbemiss

A post shared by ANGELA PONCE (@angelaponceofficial) on Jun 27, 2018 at 11:24am PDT

Transgender contestants were first allowed to compete for Miss Universe Pageant six years ago. In 2012, Canada’s Jenna Talackova was restricted from competing because she was transgender, but with the help of women’s rights lawyer Gloria Allred she legally challenged the rule and got it overturned and later made it to the Top 12, and was one of the four contestants to be named “Miss Congeniality.”

A big round of applause and congratulations to Ponce, the new Miss Spain. We can’t wait to see her compete, because whether she wins  Miss Universe Pageant or not is irrelevant; Just by competing at all, she’s changing the world. We shall keep our fingers crossed to the fact that this leads to even more inclusions in pageants and other areas of recognition from here on.

Vivimos el #orgullo con @telemadrid y @davidvallde de forma muy especial. #pride #libertad #tolerancia #orgullo2018 #orgullotelemadrid2018 @orgbemiss

A post shared by ANGELA PONCE (@angelaponceofficial) on Jul 7, 2018 at 3:34pm PDT

All women deserve the chance to shine — in whatever way they choose and from whatever background they come from. Also, we hope this marks as a remarkable inspiration to the vast rainbow skies spread around the world.

¡Con ellos todo marcha sobre ruedas! @jeanrodrigues_ @pulidojose Así terminamos el día en @orgbemiss.

A post shared by ANGELA PONCE (@angelaponceofficial) on Jul 6, 2018 at 2:01pm PDT

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