Transgender beauty queen Jenna Talakova was disqualified from Miss Universe Canada earlier this week. Born male, Jenna began identifying with the female sex by age 4, started hormone therapy at 14 and underwent gender reassignment surgery at 19. Despite there being no mention of rules regarding sex changes, Jenna was removed from the beauty pageant “because she did not meet the requirements to compete despite having stated otherwise on her entry form.” Jenna Talackova released her own statement saying, “I am very disappointed with the decision taken by the Miss Universe … organizers. However, I will look to turn this situation into a positive so that other people in a similar situation are not discriminated against in the future.” Reactions to the Miss Universe Canada decision to remove Jenna Talackova have been mixed. Do you think that transgender women should be allowed to compete in beauty pageants? I would love to hear your thoughts @lorenridinger on Twitter.
