By Emily Sullivan
Opinion Assignment Editor
I’m not a fan of beauty pageants.
That’s not to say I hate them, but judging girls on how they look in an evening gown and a bathing suit before asking them questions they answer using “like” and “um” every other word is not my idea of quality entertainment.
This year’s Miss Universe competition reaffirmed my dislike for beauty pageants.
Jenna Talackova, a finalist for Miss Universe Canada, is everything these contests look for — gorgeous hair, a slim frame and a striking smile.
Basically, she’s beautiful.
But Talackova has been unfairly discharged from the contest after apparently not meeting the criteria for the contest, according to a March 26 Huffington Post article.
Why? Because she was born a man.
Talackova knew she was truly a female at age 4 and began hormone therapy when she was only 14. By 19, she went through a gender reassignment surgery, according to the same article.
Apparently, she violated the rules of entry because she wasn’t born a female. However, the Miss Universe Canada website said nothing about having to be born a female. The website’s application says “To qualify for the 2012 competition, you must be a Canadian Citizen and at least 18 years of age and under 27 years of age by February 1, 2012.” Nowhere in the application does it require a contestant to have been born a woman. The rules for the actual Miss Universe competition apparently say contestants have to be born a female so she didn’t break any rules during her initial application.
Talackova officially became a woman after knowing for years that she was never meant to be a male. She’s 23 years old.
I don’t see a problem but apparently, others do.
Not being comfortable in your own skin is bad enough. Talackova was born a male, but knowing something is wrong when you are 4 should say something. If she is legally considered a female, then why should she be disqualified from the competition?
Fortunately, Talackova is not giving up that easily. She plans to hire a lawyer to fight the injustice, according to the Huffington Post article.
“I am very disappointed with the decision taken by the Miss Universe … organizers,” Talackova said in a March 26 People article. “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.”
People need to start accepting others for who they are. Society isn’t the same as it was when the Miss Universe competition started in 1952. Times have changed.
It isn’t against the law to have a sex change, and Talackova didn’t have a gender reassignment surgery without reason. She is officially a woman who has every right to compete in the Miss Universe competition.
Talackova didn’t join the competition to start a problem. She has never seen herself as a male or a transgender. She sees herself as she is.
“I regard myself as a woman … with a history,” she said in the same People article. Why can’t people accept Talackova for who she is? If she’s happy and confident with who she is, why must people be so cruel as to take that away from her?
If you want to help a beautiful young woman make her dreams come true and get justice., sign the petition on Change.org.
sullivec10@bonaventure.edu
