Spain’s transsexual Miss Universe candidate calls for
“respect” after attacks
The Spanish model says she wants to meet Miss Colombia despite her comments that the “pageant is for women who are born women” Spain’s transsexual Miss Universe candidate Ángela Ponce has responded to criticism from Colombia’s beauty queen Valeria Morales that the pageant is “for women who are born women.” “I will never try to change her opinion, that’s not my role,” Ponce wrote via an Instagram post on Friday. “My goal is to make people aware of my reality and to talk a little to the world about the lack of education on diversity, an important factor that without doubt leads to so much bullying, prejudices and violence.” Morales, who was named Miss Colombia on September 30, slammed the fact that the Spanish choice for the upcoming competition is transsexual. “I believe that a beauty pageant like Miss Universe is for women who are born women,” she said in front of TV cameras at the weekend after winning her crown. “And I believe that for her it will also be a disadvantage, and so we’ll have to respect it but not agree with it.” But the Spanish beauty queen said she did not want to let Morales’ comments affect her experience at Miss Universe, which will be held in December in Thailand. “I respect her and I respect that that is her opinion, but I don’t want to go to Miss Universe with any prejudice against her or any other colleague,” said the model from Seville. “I want to have a lovely experience and if she wants to get to know me, I would also like to get to know her.”