LAS VEGAS — For the first time in the pageant’s history, the title of Miss Nevada USA has been won by an openly transgender woman.
Kataluna Enriquez was crowned the winner Sunday at the South Point hotel-casino in Las Vegas.
The 27-year-old Enriquez won the Miss Silver State USA pageant in March, a preliminary competition for the Miss Nevada USA pageant. She beat 21 other candidates to represent Nevada in the Miss USA pageant that will be held on Nov. 29.
Enriquez thanked the people who helped her, including her team and her sponsors, in a Facebook post on Monday.
“Huge thank you to everyone who supported me from day one,” Enriquez wrote in a post on her Facebook page. “My community, you are always in my heart. My win is our win. We just made history. Happy pride.”
She also posted a photo of herself wearing a rainbow-colored gown on her Instagram account in honor of Pride Month “and all of those who don’t get a chance to spread their colors.”
A screenshot of a photo posted to Kataluna Enriquez’s Instagram account. Enriquez was the first transgender woman to win Miss Nevada USA. She will be competing for Miss USA in November.
Anthony Allen Ramos, head of talent for GLAAD released a statement on Tuesday praising Enriquez.
“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,” Ramos said in a statement. “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.”
GLAAD is a national organization that advocates for LGBTQ acceptance. According to the organization’s website, GLAAD was formed in response to the New York Post’s coverage of the HIV and AIDS epidemic.
The first reported meeting was in November 1985, which was followed by a large protest outside of the New York Post.
Geena Rocero—a transgender model, producer and advocate— said Enriquez will help other transgender women worldwide.
“I’m so proud of Kataluna’s trailblazing win, especially as a fellow trans Filipina sister,” Rocero said in a statement on Tuesday. “This win will open doors for all pageant systems to continuously advocate for the inclusion of trans women in all pageants, not just in America, but all over the world.”
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Enriquez first took part in transgender pageants in 2016 when she was working as a model.
According to her Facebook account, she also owns her own fashion designing business, specializing in gowns and costumes.
