OPINION | This article contains the author's opinion.
A historic victory occurred in the Netherlands as a transgender contestant won the national title of Miss Netherland 2023 and now advances to Miss Universe.
22-year-old Rikkie Valerie Kolle was declared the winner of Miss Netherland 2023. The upcoming Miss Universe pageant will be held in El Salvador.
“I DID IT,” Kolle said on social media. “It’s unreal, but I get to call myself Miss Netherland 2023.”
“It was an educational and beautiful journey,” Kolle said. “I’m so proud and happy I can’t even describe it.”
Transgender 'model and actor' Rikkie Valerie Kolle beat nine female contestants to the title
Details: https://t.co/rBdnmZW5pa pic.twitter.com/Zh2wQxqPb8
— RT (@RT_com) July 10, 2023
“Making my community proud and showing it can be done,” Kolle continued. “And, yes, I’m trans and want to share my story but I’m also Rikkie and that’s what matters to me. Did this on my own and loved every moment of it.”
Biological male wins women’s beauty pageant, Miss Universe Netherlands.
Rikkie Valerie Kolle beat dozens of women to take home the crown and title.
Kolle will now compete in the women’s Miss Universe pageant, set to be held in El Salvador later this year. pic.twitter.com/myqebXyDLr
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) July 9, 2023
It’s become increasingly popular in recent years for biological males to compete in divisions typically reserved for females, including beauty pageants. The first transgender contestant to compete in Miss Universe was Canadian model Jenna Talackova in 2012.
In the U.S., biological males cannot compete for Miss USA because contestants must be “natural born females.” This rule was established by the pageant’s private ownership and management.
The winner of Miss Netherlands 2023 is Rikkie Valerie Kollé, a male pic.twitter.com/5AyiIEvcCt
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 9, 2023
Leftists have challenged this rule in court, but a U.S. appeals court upheld the pageant’s right to free speech in 2022.
As a private organization, the court ruled that Miss USA is free to express its views on womanhood. The pageant holds the views that womanhood is defined by biological sex at birth and not “gender identity.”
The state of Nevada crowned a biological male named Kataluna Enriquez as Miss Nevada in 2021. 27-year-old Enriquez defeated 21 other contestants.