Model and transgender advocate, Kataluna Enriquez, was just crowned Miss Nevada USA. After winning her state-level competition, she will now compete in the national Miss USA pageant. Enriquez is breaking barriers, becoming the first openly trans contestant in the competition’s history.
Upon hearing the news, GLAAD’s Head of Talent, Anthony Allen Ramos today said, “Kataluna Enriquez being crowned Miss Nevada is a huge win for trans visibility and sends a powerful, but simple message to the world: trans women are women,” said Anthony Allen Ramos, GLAAD’s Head of Talent. “Enriquez’s presence on the Miss USA stage later this year will not only help to accelerate acceptance of the trans community, but also inspire so many other trans women who feel like they have not seen themselves represented in that space before.”
Kataluna Enriquez, who was crowned Miss Nevada USA on Sunday, will become the first openly transgender woman to compete in the Miss USA pageant. https://t.co/jsp7Hb3yof
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 29, 2021
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Enriquez was up against 21 other competitors. The paper states that one of the big reasons she won was because she taught herself to make clothes, and personally designed and crafted all the dresses she wore during the competition, including a floor-length gown. Her dedication to learning a new craft won over the judges, who also praised the messaging behind her campaign, which was to make the competitions more welcoming and inclusive.
News quickly spread about her victory, and LGBTQ advocates everywhere are praising the trailblazing 27-year-old.
According to NBC News, “She will represent Nevada at the 2021 Miss USA pageant, being held Nov. 29 at the Paradise Cove Theater at the River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, Oklahoma.”
