Jenna Talackova was banned from the Canadian Miss Universe finals because she had reassignment surgery a few years back. Â Check out the details of her story and why people are protesting the ban!
The transsexual beauty queen who made international headlines after being disqualified and subsequently permitted to compete for the title of Miss Universe Canada had her moment on stage yesterday as the pageant got underway.
Jenna Talackova was all smiles as she posed for photos at a Toronto hotel with 61 other contestants vying for the crown.
The 23-year-old was clad in a white bikini and name sash as she waved to cameras one week before a winner will be announced.
Ms Talackova, who had sexual reassignment surgery at the age of 19, sparked a heated gender debate in March after she was thrown out of the competition.
She had already reached the finals of the Miss Vancouver pageant before officials stepped in and banned her from the competition for being born male after it was claimed she lied on her application about her natural-born gender.
The only requirement stated on the Miss Universe Canada website is that to enter, women must be a Canadian citizen and between the ages of 18 and 27. The application form makes no mention of rules regarding sexual reassignment surgery.
LGBT activists claimed the organisation was being discriminatory, and more than 20,000 people signed a virtual petition on Change.org demanding that she be re-instated.
[Source]
