Vietnam’s Nguyen Huong Giang has been crowned this year’s “Miss International Queen” in Thailand at one of the world’s top beauty pageants for transgender women.
The winner fended off 26 competitors, from different parts of the world, to clinch the coveted crown in the seaside town of Pattaya, where the popular contest has been running since 2004.
While the competition is fierce, contestants say the pageant also offers an opportunity for camaraderie among trans women who hail from different backgrounds but share similar stories of discrimination back home.
“This is my first international experience of coming to a pageant where it is really a big exposure to all my trans sisters all over the world,” said Indian contestant Nitasha Biswas, making the final adjustments to a sparkling beige dress.
Thailand’s relatively open-minded attitude on LGBT issues also offers a refuge for contestants who hail from less tolerant countries, including neighbouring Myanmar. “Myanmar is a developing country so there is still only a small amount of transgender people,” said its contestant, Juana Paing.
Vietnam, where this year’s pageant winner hails from, has seen a growing LGBT scene in recent years while its communist government is drafting a landmark law that could allow some trans people to legally change their gender.
