At least two transgender women will compete in Miss Universe 2023. Marina Machete became the first transgender woman to win Miss Portugal last week. She will join Rikkie Valerie Kollé on stage, who became the first transgender woman to win Miss Netherlands in July. The two will compete for the Miss Universe crown on November 18 in El Salvador. The event will feature a total of 90 women from around the world. Both Machete and Kollé have a huge fan base that motivates and supports them. Machete is a 28-year-old flight attendant, while Kollé is a Dutch-Moluccan model and actress, who has previously competed on the TV series called Holland’s Next Top Model. Miss Universe began allowing trans women to compete in 2012 and, in 2018, Angela Ponce became the first trans woman to do so after she was crowned Miss Spain. In 2021, Kataluna Enriquez became the first trans woman to compete in the Miss USA pageant after she was crowned Miss Nevada, though she did not go on to compete in that year’s Miss Universe pageant. In February, Daniela Arroyo González became the first trans woman to compete in Miss Universe Puerto Rico, where she finished within the top 10 finalists.
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