(TheConservativeTimes.org) – Another man will be heading to the Miss Universe competition in El Salvador next month after winning the Miss Portugal crown, the Blaze reported.
Portuguese transgender “Marina” Machete announced on Instagram that he was proud to become the “first trans woman” from Portugal to compete in the Miss Universe pageant.
The 28-year-old flight attendant will join “Miss” Netherlands, 22-year-old Rikki Valerie Kolle, as the second male Miss Universe contestant to compete in the November 18 pageant.
But not all of Portugal is happy that a man will represent the country.
Rui Paulo Sousa, a member of the Portuguese Parliament told RT that when he heard the news, he thought it was a joke. Sousa, a member of the right-wing Chega Party, called Machete’s victory a “sad day” for the young women who have dreamed of winning a beauty pageant.
The inclusion of men in Miss Universe is not surprising since the competition, along with that of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, were all acquired by a company owned by a transgender, “Anne” Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip.
In October of last year, Jakrajutatip’s JKN Global Group Pcl, a Thailand-based media company, purchased the three pageants.
Not all participating countries are keen on the idea of allowing men to compete in the Miss Universe competition.
After the Netherlands crowned Rikki Valerie Kolle in July, the organizers of the Miss Italy pageant announced that they would not permit so-called transgender “women” to compete.
Pageant patron Patrizia Mirigliani defended the move, saying the push to include men is “a bit absurd” and noted that since its founding, the Miss Italy contest stipulated that contestants must be female “from birth.”
After Mirigliani’s comments sparked outrage, the Miss Italy organizers stated that the pageant knows “how to adapt to the times,” but added that the transgender issue “does not constitute a priority” at the moment.
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