A new history was made on Sunday when the first transgender woman, Kataluna Enriquez was crowned Miss Nevada USA. She will become the first openly transgender woman to compete in the Miss USA pageant.
With a platform centered on transgender awareness and mental health, she beats out 21 other contestants at the South Point Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.
According to media outlets, she said, “I didn’t have the easiest journey in life. I struggled with physical and sexual abuse. I struggled with mental health. I didn’t have much growing up. I didn’t have support. But I’m still able to thrive, and I’m still able to survive and become a trailblazer for many.”
After her win, Enriquez, 27, thanked the LGBTQ community on Instagram. She has written a post with the caption, “My win is our win. We just made history. Happy Pride.”
The Miss Nevada USA organization also congratulated Enriquez for her historic win on social media and shared the hashtag #bevisible.
In March, Enriquez competed in trans-specific pageants. There she became the first transgender woman crowned Miss Silver State USA, the main preliminary for Miss Nevada USA.
Now, she will represent Nevada at the 2021 Miss USA pageant. It will be held on November 29 at the Paradise Cove Theater at the River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, Oklahoma.