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PT#6: IT'S THE AGE OF CHANGE! by VILLANUEVA

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PT#6: IT'S THE AGE OF CHANGE! by VILLANUEVA

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Trans women are gaining visibility in today's culture via a variety of media outlets. People appear to be receptive of this trend, as well as these people's gender identities.

When Miss Spain Angela Ponce participated as the first openly trans woman participant in Miss Universe, a renowned international beauty pageant aired for 500 million or more viewers throughout the world, she received a lot of backlash on social media.

The general public, including some members of the LGBTQ+ community, feels that the competition should be limited to "naturally born" females and that trans women should only compete in trans-specific beauty pageants, such as Thailand's Miss International Queen.

The acceptance of transgenderism and the rejection of trans people competing in Miss Universe are diametrically opposed.

People indicate that they are not "genuine women" by recognizing their gender identification yet denying them entrance to cisgender venues.

Such covert discrimination is problematic because it contradicts these women's gender self-identification (an indication that trans women aren't "entirely" respected), and because their freedom to participate in activities that reflect who they are is limited by society's rigid notion of femininity, or, in particular, their birth sex. As a result, trans women do not have the same freedom as heterosexuals when it comes to attending social activities. Only when their rights reflect society norms are they recognized; otherwise, they are frowned upon.

Looking at it, there have been various LGBTQIA+ candidates in the pageant world, Myanmar's Swe Zin Htet was the first openly gay MU candidate

Notably, Gomez became the first openly gay candidate to win Miss Universe Philippines 2021 in October. She was also in a same-sex relationship publicly. Before her, Miss Universe got the first openly gay participation from Miss Myanmar, Swe Zin Htet, in 2019. She interestingly came out only a week before her Miss Universe stint to cause an everlasting impact on the global LGBTQA+ community. As she has said, 'I thought [coming out] would help more than hurt me.

Being gay in Myanmar comes with punishments and ridicule. When asked about the dangers involved, Zin Htet had said, "I thought it would help me more than hurt me by coming out as a lesbian and being true to who I am."Earlier, Spain's Patricia Yurena Rodríguez Alonso, who came second at Miss Universe 2013, had come out. But this was after the competition.

It's the age of change, a new era for all of us. We must be accepted of what is happening now in society if it proves to be beneficial to the minority.

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Disclaimer: I am writing this opinion on a personal note as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

In the event I am the National Director of Miss Universe Philippines, I will NOT allow transgender people to participate. I make this decision on this sole reason: Even though transwomen are still women, they did not undergo the same struggles and experiences as those who were born as women.

Being part of Miss Universe Philippines is not only about beauty but it is also about how to be a role model to other women and young girls. How can we set a role model to such audience if the aforementioned role model did not even experience the same things as them? Sure, it may be inspiring but it does not make any sense at all.

Though I am for excluding them from Miss Universe Philippines, I will support however a new, separate pageant for them. This pageant may be a platform similar to Miss Universe Philippines but for members of the LGBTQIA+. Having a separate pageant for them will highlight the struggles of the LGBTQIA+ community and will put icons identifying as such in the spotlight, thus being an inspiration to others.

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As the National director of Miss Universe Philippines, I would NOT allow the inclusion of LGBTQ community to the competition. Miss Universe are for known only as Miss Universe. I'm not against LGBTQ community I'm only stating fact that it is only for Woman, Transgender are not natural born woman. It will cost problems on the contestants, because Man and Woman has different experience in life. They're not the same you may think of yourself as a girl but you're a guy even if you change your gender.

The point here is that Miss Universe is for woman, that is why its called MISS even if you're a transgender or have a different gender I'm going to be very honest to you that some people will only call you miss. The rest will call you hurtful words. The earth does not always revolve around you there are times that you had your ups and there are times that you have your downs, that's why we're called person because we sin. It is unfair for the ladies that it will bother them that they're against Trans.

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Change. Metamorphosis.

As every species undergo change, we should learn to adapt. A transgender woman is called a woman. Some people may argue that transgender women are not women. By birth, yes they aren't, however, once they undergo medical surgery, the way we would refer to them should also change.

Allowing transwomen to the Miss Universe pageant would be revolutionary (as it should). If people would categorize transwomen to a different competition for beauty, wouldn't it be contradicting to the inclusivity that we very much uphold? I permit transwomen to join the Miss Universe competition because they deserve more. When a caterpillar sheds its skin, unfettered to the chrysalis that envelopes them, we don't call them caterpillars, we call them butterflies.

Huwag kayo matatakot sa pagbabago, kung walang pagbabago walang paruparo.
- Kim Boncales

Castro, Arthur | 12G HUMMS

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In its essence, Miss Universe is an organization that highlights the capabilities of women to carry out their advocacies. So, who are we to not include transwomen in the competition? First and foremost, the purpose of Miss Universe is to gather women who can make a difference, and transwomen are capable of making that difference. Their sexuality and gender assignment at birth do not lessen their ability to spark change in the world. So, some people argue that transwomen should not be allowed in the competition is irrational.

I know some people would make the argument that transwomen are not women. However, once a person fully transitions to their desired gender, they experience different social treatment. Transwomen are initially seen as women until they disclose that they are transgender. Knowing this, I believe that transwomen, at some point in their lives, will experience the same type of social interaction and discrimination that cisgender women have faced their entire lives. This, in turn, debunks the idea that transwomen aren’t women. Yes, they weren’t assigned females at birth, but they experience the suffering of every woman in the world once they fully transition.

At the same time, the argument that transwomen must not be allowed because of their gender transition-related procedures seals the deal that they aren’t “natural women.” However, I would like to remind the people that the women of the Miss Universe are not there for their bodies to be ogled at by viewers; this mentality that only “natural women” can join the Miss Universe is somewhat a form of implicit sexual objectification. We must remember that the essence of the competition is to make women gain a reputable platform to contribute to their chosen desolate communities fully.

To conclude, Miss Universe is an inclusive beauty pageant. Yes, transwomen may not be assigned female at birth, but they are still women. We must remember that women can come in different shapes, sizes, and sexuality, and transgender is just another category of women. At the end of the day, they are still women in my eyes. As a national director, transgender women are more than welcome to join the Miss Universe.

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As the national director of Miss Universe Philippines, I would allow the LGBTQ+ community to join the competition. Personally, each of us is supposedly permitted to join the competition because it doesn’t limit who or what type of person should be accepted. Although there are requirements that the competition needs, as the director I must be considerate of what is in the present. We have to look at them the same way, whether trans-men, trans-women, men, or women. It is our duty to accept them wholeheartedly, I believe the competition does not limit to just women, and “Miss” should have a broader meaning that doesn’t limit to one gender only.

To sum it up, the competition should be open for everyone except for men because they have their universe competition. In all honesty, I don’t see any problem in accepting the LGBTQ+ community in the competition because, in the first place, we can see them physically as a woman. However, they are considered men by paper and in religion, but we shouldn’t limit the competition to what gender they were born. And in this way of accepting them, I believe the competition will help the part of the community be treated equally.

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As the National Director of Miss Universe Philippines, I would allow members of the LGBTQ+ community but with limitations in terms of the amount of surgeries and any form body enhancement because it defeats the definition of natural beauty. In recent news, an openly lesbian woman represented our country in the pageant last year and honestly as long as her physical appearance still looks natural and fits all the categories to win the competition, and I don’t see anything wrong with that. Physical appearance wise, most naturally-born women do not undergo beauty enhancement surgeries or else it will look obvious to the audience. Unlike the naturally-male born contestants, who have to go through multiple surgeries to make their physical appearance look identical to the female anatomy. To sum it all up, I would allow the members of the LGBTQ+ community to join the pageant as long as the person really considers herself as a woman and is willing to represent her gender with pride.

My point here is that most people forget that the LGBTQ+ community is wide and does not only consist of transgenders. The most recent representative of the Philippines in the Miss Universe was an openly-lesbian woman who had a relationship with another woman and she did her job very well without causing any controversy because she represented women in a positive way.

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As the job of the national director of Miss Universe, I believe that allowing LGBTQ+ members to join the pageant should be possible. The English language use pronouns as a way to identify someone without the use of their name. A lot of members of the LGBTQ+ community identify themselves to the pronouns that they identify as. The title "Miss Universe" applies to the term "Miss", do we not acknowledge the number of members of the LGBTQ+ who recognize themselves as part of the term "Miss" or she/her? The role of pronouns in the LGBTQ+ is a way of knowing acceptance in their environment. Miss Universe mentioned that "there is beauty in diversity", but why do they choose to ignore LGBTQ+ members who refer to themselves as women? I thought people can be who they wanna be then why do they identify them as different when it comes to the pageantry? Let us remember that a lot of LGBTQ+ members identify themselves as women, and Miss Universe should be an event that they can be a part of.

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As the national director of Miss Universe Philippines, I would not allow the inclusion of the LGBTQIA community to the competition. It is my sole responsibility that the franchise of the program will be a success. The Miss Universe Philippines started around the year 1952. And throughout history, it has been known to showcase the brains and beauty of women and is created particularly for women. I am not implying that transgender women are not identified as women, It’s because of the surgical procedures that they underwent.

As I was saying, transgender women are not natural-born women. Yes, the features of a woman and men are not similar and even though the transgenders change these features surgically, the competition might come off unfair to some women and the reputation of the Miss universe may or may not be ruined. Holding a separate competition that centralizes on the LGBTQIA community might seem more logical and a better choice because this competition solely focuses on the assets of a transgender, in this competition, everyone is equal in terms of their sexual identity and features. I believe that modern problems require modern solutions, as our civilization progresses, It changes many different views and stereotypical understandings amongst the people in the society.

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Society nowadays values representation in media so much more than it did years ago, largely in part because of the younger, progress-focused generation. It shows how different forms of media deal with the present gender, age, and cultural identities—as well as the social issues that come with it. As a child, seeing yourself in one of the characters of your favorite TV show is exciting and in a way, empowering, because you feel seen; there’s always that “he’s just like me fr 😭” moment. For members of the LGBTQ+ community who grew up with a lack of diverse role models, proper representation means so much more to them. It is for this reason that, as National Director of the Miss Universe Philippines pageant, I would approve the inclusion of LGBTQ+ applicants.

After all, the Miss Universe Organization claims that they are “a global, inclusive organization that celebrates women of all cultures and backgrounds and empowers them to realize their goals through experiences that build self-confidence and create opportunities for success.” Allowing LGBTQ+ individuals to compete in the pageant calls for an assessment and possible restructuring of the overall criteria. This means going back to the question of “What is a woman? What is the essence of being a woman?” This can be answered from different perspectives; a biological perspective, a social perspective, etc. This very question was asked to contestant Sushmita Sen back in 1997, to which she answered: “Just being a woman is God’s gift. The origin of a child is a mother, a woman. She shows a man what sharing, caring, and loving is all about. That is the essence of a woman.” This answer taps into the biological perspective, with the mention of a woman being able to bear and carry a child. If the criteria for the pageant, then, is wholly based on the womens’ biological features then LGBTQ+ applicants cannot compete. However, if the criteria would be intellect, achievements, social engagement, talents, etc. then there is no reason to exclude LGBTQ+ applicants from the pageant.

Assessing where the pageant currently stands on this issue, we must look back to its previous years. In 2018, the candidate for Spain was a transwoman. In 2021, the representative for the Philippines, was Bea Luigi Gomez—an openly proud bisexual. Moreover, Miss Universe fans prefer to categorize the evolution of the pageant throughout the years in different eras, however, this stand will only focus on the Trump Era and the IMG Era. The Trump Era placed big importance on the candidates’ appearance rather than what they stood for. Conventionally attractive winners in lavish gowns were the poster children of the Trump Era. When IMG bought Miss Universe from Trump in around 2015, the criteria shifted to the candidates’ personal advocacies, community projects, communication skills, and empowerment. Thanks to the change, winners like Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray were given a platform. Having said this, we can now see that it wouldn’t be too difficult to recalibrate the pageant, if necessary, to allow LGBTQ+ contestants to participate since the current criteria doesn’t focus too much on biological features anymore.

Because of inevitable backlash from the more traditional audience, the changes will be implemented slowly and the criteria shall be made clear to help the audience understand what the Miss Universe Organization is looking for in its contestants. At the end of the day, if allowing LGBTQ+ applicants to be given a platform in the pageant is one step forward for the community in breaking discrimination and attaining equal rights, representation, and empowerment, then I believe that there is nothing wrong with it at all.

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As the national director of the Miss Universe Philippines Franchise, without hesitation, I would allow the LGBTQIA+ applicants to participate in the pageant. I say this for one simple reason, transwomen are women; Miss Universe is for women.

To quote the Miss Universe Website, “The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) is a global, inclusive organization that celebrates women of all cultures and backgrounds and empowers them to realize their goals through experiences that build self- confidence and create opportunities for success.” Are transwomen not meant to be celebrated and empowered? Why must they be discriminated against because of their sexual identity? Why would I contribute to the prevalence of social norms?

After all, it does state in the 1987 Consitution of the Philippines that the separation of church and state shall be inviolable. The religious beliefs and opinions of others do not matter to me. By allowing the LGBTQIA+ to participate, we are creating a safe place for them to finally express themselves. I couldn’t care less about hearing your scientific arguments on whether trans people are biologically who they identify as, as a human being, why would I actively want to stand in the way of someone’s happiness?

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For this situation, I believe that the inclusion of LGBTQ+ members would be beneficial for miss universe.

First, if a person has a different sexual orientation it doesn't take away from who they are and their identity. I believe the same is for trans women/men because if a trans woman were to join the miss universe pageant it wouldn't take away anything from the women who were women at birth since competing with a trans woman in the pageant doesn't take away the fact that they, themselves, are still a woman and it also gives them a chance to participate in an event that means a lot to a lot of people. The inclusion of trans women not only gives them a chance at representing trans women around the world but it also allows them to show off and truly accept who they are. Miss Universe is a celebration of women and trans women are included in that too.

There are other benefits to adding LGBTQ+ members like having representation, more exposure for the pageant and more people in the seats of the pageant. From a monetary aspect as a director of Miss Universe, having representation allows creates incentive for LGBTQ+ members to join and watch the event. The mixed in representation also allows Miss Universe to appeal to more people as it truly shows that Miss Universe is a celebration of all women. Though the execution of having LGBTQ+ members must be done tastefully and not shoehorned for the sake of "wokeness" (Though I bring this up as a point I do not want to imply that the only reason why I allowed LGBTQ members to join was because of the monetary value lol ok :))

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Miss Universe: Philosophical discussion + Practical solution

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Miss Universe: Philosophical discussion + Practical solution

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There are ideas that a lot of people see as unmoving, and common sense. For example, the 'basic biological difference' between men and women as a precedent for every social structure that involves these genders.  We must understand that there exists the concept of a biological FEMALE, but the concept of womanhood is socially constructed. Many define womanhood on biological terms, such as the ability to give birth and have periods. But this defines womanhood based on their bodies alone, and also runs into a wall when looking at women who are infertile and/or undergoing menopause. Therefore, I think a reasonable view is to see the concept of gender as socially flexible and arbitrary. Even biologically, there is a blur in the rigid divide between men and women that a lot of people see as 'the way its always been'. Hormones and bodily features have a vast and radical variety among each person, so I've dropped the idea of defining our humanity by rigid rules on what a 'man' and 'woman' is. We are brains and souls, not just bodies.

Therefore, if I had the position and power of the NATIONAL DIRECTOR of the Miss Universe Philippines franchise, I would do 3 main things.

Firstly, I would allow the option for trans women to enter Miss Universe pageants. I do not care for religious institutions that uphold an arbitrary and damaging concept that trims down the lives of men and women to their genitals, not their humanity.

Secondly, I would fund and support the pageants that focus towards members of the LGBTQ+, in order to increase their reach, create safer and more equipped communities, and normalize the idea that these are just people, and that for most of history, have lacked the same mechanisms to success and competition as those considered 'normal'. My reasoning for both allowing the inclusion of trans women, and strengthening LGBTQ+ only competitions is the fact that they should be both treated as normal people, but also recognized as historically oppressed.  This means protection to violence and harassment, and a safe space that is the bare minimum for more privileged communities.

Lastly, I would focus the charity funds and possible investments towards aid and structural change. Instead of charities that look towards, for example, feeding poor kids for a week and then leaving them alone, I would fund organizations that shelter victims of human trafficking and abuse. I would fund the advocacy for more comprehensive anti-discrimination laws, and a zero tolerance policy for violence against the LGBTQ+ community. Investments would go to financially aiding and gaining more benefits for the vast amount of women in the Philippines that work within the lowest income thresholds, only given crumbs by the businesses they work under.

In conclusion, supporting women doesn't look like reinforcing the notion that gender is defined by your genitals and bodily functions, but actually recognizing the systemic problems that both cis and trans women face. I wouldn't want to waste my time with completely arbitrary social definitions when I can look instead at the material conditions of many women, the sheer violence and harassment trans and queer folk face on a daily basis, and the amount of social mobility an esteemed pageant can cause.

- LAUDICO

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You never know until you do so, therefore I think implementing such strategies of allowing LGBTQ+ applicants to participate in such popular events could simply represent a make or break situation. In all honestly, I am with it in allowing this inclusion to pass, as a way not only for valuing inclusivity for a powerful community and flabbergasting entertainment, but to test the waters in order to see how things and people would react once presented to everyone. As long as they are capable and motivated to portray themselves as the woman they desire to be, and are truly accommodating to the standards and requirements of becoming a contestant, it would be safe to still go for it. Most would often react in contrary to this position simply due that

To me it’s a sort of trial and error situation and to wanting to observe how the audience would react to this implementation, it’s just so that we can’t have an actual trial process to such of course –  yet I think the best way to compensate for a possible error or failure to this inclusion is to already strategize a sort of recalibration process or recovery for the pageant to move back to its old roots. If it succeeds there and the backlash doesn’t outweigh the opportunities, we are fully established and happy to continue with this implementation. There are observed LGBTQ+ candidates in such given beauty pageants, such as Miss Spain from 2018 identifying as a transgender woman, and a bisexual candidate namely Beatrice Gomez who participated in Miss Universe Philippines. We have already been able to see the hints or gist by allowing transgender women to participate in the MU, it would continue being viable for the MU Philippines to initiate such inclusions.

There comes a chance though that it becomes overwhelming for any particular reason, so also innovating a pageant strictly for participants in the LGBTQ+ should come into play. At the end, we all come looking for entertainment (thus expecting a wide spectrum of reactions and emotions from the audience), the judges decide who deserves to win, and this ultimately precedes more paths for what Miss Universe has to offer in their upcoming events; I could simply add here that it is not only going to be competitive for the contestants, but to everyone involved in the pageant as a whole. It’d possibly be understandably difficult to initiate such, and that also goes if ever having the need to revert back to tradition, but it just brings us back to if we really want to present ourselves as this, or if this is what we really want. Eventually on the middle ground will be found, you just never know until you make a drastic change; and I believe allowing LGBTQ+ members to contest in such beauty pageants is due to utilitarian senses -- It is for the greater good for everyone, and it does not intend to harm anyone either.

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Given that Miss Universe has been a well-known pageant for quite some time now it has been a dream for girls around the world to be crowned and known as "Miss Universe". This pageant is known to be annual and come to think of it it kind of seems like a tradition, now as the national director of this beauty pageant I would have to say no to allowing LGBTQ+ members to join this contest because first of all this pageant is only for females and yes I know some people will say "so what about the transgenders" but if we were to be practical or straight to the point a person who cuts off their reproductive system and calls themselves the opposite gender is still their original gender, why?

Well, you're born a man and you had once had a penis and it's just basic biology. For example, in one of Ben Shapiro's talks, a girl argued with him about transgenders she asked if the idea of sex or gender are malleable Ben replied with the answer "no it's not true because if you are going to dictate to me that I'm supposed to pretend that men are women and women are men? No, the answer is no. I'm not going to modify basic biology because it threatens your subjective sense of what you are" then the woman brought "what about the boy scouts?" Ben replied with "The Boy Scouts have a standard. You must be a biological boy to be a Boy Scout, you have to be a boy to be a boy scout" Then the woman added to her question " Where's that written on?" Then Ben simply answered her with 'in the name BOY scout". Now I 100% agree with him because it's backed up by science and you really can't fight back with something that was proved. Now the thing is though people should just let the LGBTQ+ society be happy and respect their beliefs. But when an incident happens for example they fight the directors of Miss Universe for not letting in LGBTQ+ members for good it's because it has been a tradition to make it an all-girls beauty pageant and by them allowing the other community join the contest it will somehow affect the stigma of the famously known contest.

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Vendero, Kurt 12-G

As the national director of miss universe Philippines, I wouldn’t allow LGBTQ+ members to join the contest it’s because of Joining Miss Universe is a disrespect to natural born women who are aspiring to be a queen. I strongly support the LGBTQ community, that have acquired international recognition but This is not institutional racism, inequality, or bullying; however, there are pageants that are specifically designed for transgender women, such as Miss Universe. If Miss Universe's door were to open for transgender women, there may be more than transgender women who would join the pageant in the long run, and before we know it, all of the competitors will be trans. This pageant is designed to pit natural-born women against one other. Each country must have had a naturally born woman who deserved to represent her country. Allowing transgender women to compete in pageants would be unfair to those who are naturally beauty. Miss Universe is a pageant that takes place every pagaent for beauty is a symbol, and it exemplifies components of how we see the woman's identity.

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As the national director of the Miss Universe, I will allow LGBT participants to join Miss Universe. Miss Universe 2019 has made history as this was the first time in history to include an openly trans contestant. What really impressed me was the fact that the participant is from Myanmar, a country that doesn’t allow same sex marriage.  From what I heard members of the LGBT in Myanmar can be prosecuted. Miss Myanmar participant Zin Htet stated that the LGBT members in Myanmar do not have equal rights and she wanted to change that.  This quote really defined her bravery when it came to addressing the LGBT community in Myanmar and should indeed be an admirable trait in a Ms. Universe.  While all the world of pageants is not known for its inclusivity, the very reason for its existence is supposedly to unite all the countries and to promote world peace as each contestant has expressed time and time again.  Allowing the LGBT community to be a part of the Miss Universe pageant is one way of promoting equal rights and reducing prejudice.

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As national director of Ms. Universe's Philippine franchise, I would say no to the inclusion of LGBTQ+ applicants. Its all in the name fellas, Ms. Universe, a pageant and competition for women. While you can be whatever you like, I think that there should be certain standards when it comes to something of this magnitude. Not even mentioning that because of the nature of the contest, many of the scoring measures used by judges, as well as questions asked to the contestants are geared towards women, women that have lived their whole lives as women. With that being said, I don't think that a new scoring system, particularly concerning the evening gown and swimsuit categories can be feasibly implemented without going against the previously set criteria. I see this a lot like girls being allowed to join the boy scouts of America. Its an impractical solution to a problem that doesn't even exist. Both the girl scouts and LGBTQ+ beauty pageants exist. I also think it sends quite a strange message that theoretically in the situation that a member of the LGBTQ+ community does win, does that mean that they fit the mold of being the perfect woman better than biological women? I wouldn't know what to think if I saw that happen on TV. Anyways, the LGBTQ+ community has a multitude of very cool and progressive competitions they can join and excel in, including Miss Gay Philippines and Mr. Gay World Philippines, so there's a solution right there. And hey if that's still not enough, what's stopping Endeavor from creating a new pageant entirely dedicated to LGBTQ+ contestants where they show their stuff and prove that they ARE beautiful!

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FIRST, we need to acknowledge what the Miss Universe Pageant really is! NO, it is not a simple beauty competition; NO, it is not a platform for women to become international icons of inspiration and empowerment to girls all around the world; and NO, it is not a place for transgendered or pregnant participants!

Miss Universe is an Fully-American Money Making machine. A beautiful and sexy multi-million dollar American making machine!

As the National Director of Miss Universe Philippines, I feel I have a moral and patriotic responsibility to uphold the integrity and honor of the Miss Universe Organization and my country by prohibiting transgendered and LGBTQIA+ contestants.

First and foremost, it would be unfair to the other participants in the competition. undergoing a Sex-Change procedure is, in my mind as the National Director of the Miss Universe Organization (Philippines), equal to plastic surgery. Although the whole Miss Universe Organization itself does not have any ruling prohibiting a contestant of undergoing some form of cosmetic surgery, the Miss Universe Organization HEAVILY discourages it. Miss Universe is about exemplifying the natural born beauty of the woman, and I feel and know that undergoing sex-change or cosmetic surgeries gives certain contestants an unfair advantage. As National Directors have the power to implement certain requirements for contestants, along with the removal of height requirement, I would also fully prohibit the use of Sex-change and Cosmetic Surgery procedures on any contestant.

Second, WE WILL LOOSE VIEWERS!! The Miss Universe Pageant is a internationally televised event! Every country in the world has certain regulations and rules in regards to what can and cannot be aired on television sets and online media for their citizens. Censorship is horrible, but it is what it is. Sometimes it makes sense and most of the time it doesn't. When the Miss Earth Pageant 2015 was being hosted in Austria, Ting Wen-yin, the Taiwanese contestant, was prohibited from being on stage or being photographed because she refused to wear a sash indicating she was from "Chinese Taipei" instead of her "Taiwan, R.O.C. sash". In 2019, Mediacorp, a Singaporean Public Broadcast Company, censored the answer of Catriona Gray during a Miss Universe Competition by cutting out an important half of her answer to Marijuana Use. Worst of all, in 2016 during the Miss Indonesia Pageant, contestants wearing the Kebaya, a traditional women's dress in Indonesia considered to being a national outfit, were heavily censored by the Indonesian government as most of the contestants wearing the traditional outfit revealed a bit of skin, saying it was for "Protecting Indonesian Culture". Imagine the amount of censorship that will be inflicted if we allowed more Transgendered individuals into the competition. Miss Universe Pageants will probably be BANNED in many  countries over religious and cultural values.

Finally. It's more convenient and very safe. We have to rewrite the whole ruleset and make every inch of the already-toxic ends of the LGBTQIA+ Community very cross at us for making "inclusive" changes that they claim are actually not inclusive and actually sexist, spend millions on Public Relations just to quiet everyone down and say everything is fine, get cancelled online again for issues in regards to toxic beauty standards and get pulled on accepting any person who people "think deserves to be in the competition" and spend more on explaining why THATS THE POINT OF A BEAUTY PAGEANT and praying that everything gets better from there, which will definitely not. Its a loose loose loop of getting cancelled in social media by either the LGBTQIA+ community and Religious Straight people community, and us investing in not getting burned down to the ground by either side.

Either way, a bunch of neo-liberal leftists crying outside and burning buildings also burns my wallet! How can we, the Miss Universe Organization, survive and be able to do our charitable works here and abroad for women without the money from the sponsors and investors if they all suddenly pull away as we no longer suit their religious and cultural values? It is not "kissing ass", its called "Cooperating Towards Mutual Interests". If Miss Universe shuts down because of this sabotage of our integral values as an organization, then who will take up this very difficult job and responsibility of judging the monetary value of women based on idiotically outdated, discriminatory, and toxic beauty standards all for the sake of patriotic clout, lazily attempt to help the contestants who are being harassed and actively targeted online by the scum of the internet, and rob everyone's wallets in the process?

Luckily CAPITALISM SAVES THE DAY!! All we need to do is gather all the aspiring transgender and LGBTQIA+ contestants, make them establish their own international competitive beauty-judgement organization that reaches the hearts and souls of millions of people world wide while simultaneously cooperating with international partners to make the planet a better place, and happily watch the money grow from merchandise, advertisements, and the toxic beauty standards that make everyone feel horrible about themselves. By the time that happens, the race is on on who gets bankrupt first. Good Luck Mx. Universe.

Money may not be able to buy you happiness, but it can buy you things that can make you happy, like tickets to visit wherever Miss Universe 2022 Edition will be held and enjoying your time buying Miss Universe merchandise while watching every problem be easily solved with a single drop of FREE MARKET CAPITALISM.

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The LGBT community, especially in this modern era has been slowly but surely gaining more and more traction and support from the people. Even the people who do not directly support the LGBT community are more welcome and inclusive to its existence. As the stigma surrounding the LGBT community dwindles, allowing the LGBT community to participate in the next Miss Universe pageant seems like the natural next step. I would like to argue however that this is sadly a mistake.

For one thing, Miss Universe is for women. The nature of a woman is a biological fact that cannot be changed. Women have facial features, bone structure, body types, etc, although it is fine to call yourself a woman, there are somethings that cannot be changed. The purpose of Miss Universe itself is to empower women; It is an event that showcases the brilliance, personality, and intelligence of a woman. Having the LGBT compete may undermine the reason for what it represents. (Aside from capitalism). It would mean for the event to have two different causes, rather than focus on one stronger cause.

Instead it would be better to create an entirely different competition dedicated to the lgbt rather than simply shoehorning them into something that already exists with it’s purpose.

What would the purpose be of having the LGBT community participate?  I understand that people want Miss Universe to be more inclusive, and that they want the LGBT community to be better represented, however simply having a member of the LGBT cannot do that. The issue I see here is that we would be directly comparing a woman and a member of the lgbt in the process, even if it wasn’t the intention. If a member of the LGBT community were to win, it would send a message similar to “Member of the LGBT community wins Miss Universe Beauty pageant.” Doing that however may only damage the reputation of the LGBT even more. By pointing out  this specific instance or occurrence, it ultimately weakens the concept of LGBT rights as it makes it seem contrary to the status quo. By making a big deal about their win, it makes it seem like a member of the LGBT winning is something that isn’t normal or possible when it should be the norm.

The Miss Universe pageant alone doesn’t have this problem of weakening women empowerment as it’s a women only competition. They’re really only comparing women to themselves. It is an event where women all around the world with different beliefs, personalities, beauty, and confidence show their best against the best. Adding the LGBT into the mix will change its purpose drastically, and not in a good way.

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As the National Director of Miss Universe Philippines, I would say no. I wouldn’t allow LGBTQ+ members to join simply because of gender and tradition.

Even if someone changes their gender or label, it does not change the fact that biologically born males are built differently in terms of their physiques compared to women who are biologically born females.

Now say Biology didn’t matter, it does, but let’s say it didn’t. Why would there be a need to allow LGBTQ+ members to join Miss Universe? People who are part of the LGBTQ+ community are already leading the societal and digital world as they are, so there is no reason for them to be recognized at a place that is held for biological born women. I say this because Miss Universe gives women a chance to prove that they are more than beautiful possessions to be looked at, because how they answer the questions would also matter. Besides, the LGBTQ+ community already have their own beauty pageants such as Mr. Gay World or Miss F Universe. Miss Universe on the other hand is a platform for women to become national icons or for them to become celebrities in the future in their own right. Miss Universe is also a good chance for the respective countries of the participants to be represented in a good way, not a platform on proving a point that gender traditions and barriers were broken down simply because one changed their gender.

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The Miss Universe franchise is a well-known and reputable pageant held annually and streamed live across the world. Every nation has set foot in this pageant and has given honor to its yearly winners. The pageant has gone through ups and downs over the years because of rising tensions among pageant participants; including the Philippines when Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach was crowned and was mistakenly announced by MU 2015 Host Steve Harvey declaring Miss Colombia as the 2015 Miss Universe. As the national director of Miss Universe Philippines, I believe that it would be a breakthrough to include LGBTQ+ participants in the franchise considering the honor and legacy our country has proven, it would gain lots of mainstream media and exposure as to what made the MU Management of the Philippines to include LGBTQ+ participants in the franchise.

The Miss Universe pageant is an annual beauty pageant participated by over 80 nations, its goal is to promote and uplift women empowerment which can bring change towards their local community and selected beneficiaries. In their MU reign, they are expected to accomplish and do their part as Miss Universe and that is making the world a better place by addressing alarming concerns and issues in different communities. Thus, I believe this is where my decision as the director of MU Philippines comes into play. Not only it would bring recognition for our country in transitioning into this big change, it would upheave voices of the unheard and they are usually the socially declined people. These people have been set as a negative norm in our society by conservative people,  and I suppose that it would bring honor and pride to their name to be able to be heard and recognized. It is time to break the boundaries and set a wider standard when it comes to setting the bars. This transition will gain more attention and pro-LGBTQ+ beneficiaries and communities to participate in this event. This will be a major event in which people from around the world will look and watch as to how it will be executed. Whilst looking at rising circumstances like decline and protestors, just as how vegetarians rally against normal human beings, I believe this would empower and promote feminism in every woman in the society. The grounds for entering this would be open to these LGBTQ+ participants as long as they were legally elected or chosen by their respective country as candidate for the MU pageant.

The decision I made as the director of MU Philippines would bring homage to every woman out there who have been undertaken by men as to weaker abilities or power. This will bring more empowerment as to not only women can be represented as the country's MU, but also LGBTQ+ candidates. In our society today, respect is the highest standard one can have, thus we must set this standard not only to the ones who can but to the ones who can prove it because at the end of the day, respect is something that should be earned and gained.

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As the national director of the Miss Universe Philippines franchise, I see that representation matters, it is vital to amplify the voices and share the stories of all. Living as a woman, and living identifying as a woman are two different things. It's all about your life experience. A transgender woman has to struggle with coming out of the closet, surgeries, and paranoia. A woman has to struggle with sexism and patriarchy , and pregnancy. Both experience abuse and discrimination. A transgender woman, regardless if you represent women all over the world, you represent transgender people. Besides they are a lot of beauty pageants that represent the LGBTQ community, and on common grounds it is easy for them. Transgender women belong to the LGQTQ community, and they represent them.

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The Miss Philippines is a held with women contestants. What I believe in is that we should not allow the competition to be added with members of the LGBTQA+ to be in as it would ruin the ideal goal of it representing women and how would they do things on their accord.

In the most common thought, we would have to consider that a lot of the rules would need to be changed in order to suit the people in this community. Next one, the judges might have some bias with the members as if they downgrade these people or instantly shut them down, a lot of people would go against them as well for doing so as they would say it is "discrimination" and "biased with women" even though the competition originally is supposed to be only for women. And lastly, they should just make a competition that is exclusive for this people instead of trying to push-in and give space for this members.

Christian Celio D. Tecson

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As the director of Miss Universe Philippines, I would allow LGBTQ+ members to join the Miss Universe beauty pageant. I have made this decision because how the whole mission of the organization of Miss Universe is to help women be their personal best and have self-confidence. This is taken directly from our website and the whole idea of a pageant is to celebrate and empower the concept of femininity that's present in every woman. This can also apply to people who identify as women and are passionate about their femininity and want to show the world the best version of themselves.

Many may disagree because of the fact that allowing LGBTQ+ contestants to join would surely generate bias from the judges and even disdain from the other participants who are jealous. It is true that it will generate controversy because of how corporations and companies will be biased toward LGBTQ+ members just so that they can make money from society. The problem with LGBTQ+ members joining Miss Universe is the system that constructs this social schema. The competition will surely lose sponsors as well when the LGBTQ+ are allowed to join but it is important to remember that this competition isn’t for these people. It is entertainment and it is a celebration that embraces feminine concepts. The competition isn't for the audience, it is for the women who compete and strive to be the best version of themselves. Others may say that because of this Miss Universe will eventually crumble because of the loss of sponsors and supporters but it will survive because Miss Universe isn’t just a grandiose event, it is a concept that will continue to thrive as long as women have the courage and confidence to be their best.

The problem isn’t society nor the people, the problem is the system that we are trapped in. The LGBTQ+ must be allowed so that they can represent themselves because deep down they are competing for themselves and just for themselves, they are not competing to get praises from people. As long as they live by and celebrate femininity, as long as they strive to be someone to be looked up to by people, they are allowed to join the Miss Universe.

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As the National Director of the Miss Universe Philippines Franchise, I will not be allowing The partcipance of the LGBTQ+ to represent the Philippines in a event where in we show case our Female beauty in the pagaent. in my point of view the Miss Universe beauty pagaent is a symbol and it showcases the aspects of how we identify a women. In the eye's of religion there are only 2 gender identities, Male and Female, same as Biology it is a type of evidence that our body represents our Gender meaning to say if you have a penis then you are a male and if you have a vagina you are a female. We cant change the fact that someone who had a surgical operation in order to change his/her gender was once a male or a female. another reason in my opinion is that undergoing through surgical operations gives a physical advantage when it comes in showcasing the participants physical beauty.

Religion and Biology has a big impact on how we define ourselves, it is not stated in the law that we are prohibeted to choose and to express who we are inside. thus proposing an alternative way where in the LGBTQ+ will be having a seperate Beauty Pagaent to showcase their own way of beauty in the inside and the outside.

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As the director of Miss Universe Philippines, I would allow LGBTQIA+ contestants to join the beauty pageant.

To begin with, it's a beauty pageant. Yes, it's aimed at women, but anyone who identifies as a woman, regardless of their sex at birth, is a woman, therefore they are allowed to participate in the competition. People enter beauty pageants as a means of self-expression, and if it makes them happy, they should do so as long as they are not harming others.

Second, since the 1960s, members of the LGBTQIA+ community have been fighting for equal rights! It's already 2022, and I believe it's past time for the Miss Universe Philippines franchise to evolve as well.

Finally, allowing LGBTQIA+ contestants in Miss Universe shows that the community is represented. For example, transgender people are already misrepresented in the media, in beauty pageants, and elsewhere. It is critical to have proper representation. Proper representation can help people who are struggling to come to terms with their own gender identity by demonstrating that they are not alone, and that others have gone through similar experiences and are now proud of who they are.

With that said, I will allow LGBTQIA+ contestants to compete in Miss Universe because, as the Pageant's slogan states, "humanitarian issues and is a voice to affect positive change in the world," allowing LGBTQIA+ contestants to compete is a loud voice in and of itself to affect positive change in society.

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Do you see Romande? Yes, you do. Beautiful ain't it. The picture is courtesy of Romande.

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As a director, I would say no. Do not allow transgender/LGBTQIA+ participants, mainly because of simple reasons. First of all, I’m looking at it from my personal view wherein there is simply an unchangeable biological and physical difference between men and women. A woman is strictly defined as an adult human female, and a female has certain bodily features that males simply do not have. As a male, even if you choose to call yourself a woman does not change the fact that you are biologically a man. You are literally “built different”! There will always be a difference between men and women, and not even gender reassignment surgery can fix that. After all, it is called gender reassignment surgery; not sex reassignment surgery... or at least it was called that until the American Psychiatric Association caved to the left.

Aside from that, the second reason would be the fact that living in a society requires us to set boundaries that should not be crossed. Aside from what was previously said, caving into the pressure of external forces makes the management and organization look vulnerable. If we really were so weak as to follow the demands of a loud minority it would show this loud minority can get away with anything if they screamed loud enough. Plus, there is always a solution to this screaming raven. We are a business after all.

Anyway, the third reason is the fact that as a director of a well-known franchise, I want to make as much money as possible, we are still a business after all. (Oh boy can’t wait to be bashed for this one.) Making a separate franchise to appeal to this loud minority will definitely solve the issue, however, this would be considered, middle-grounding this problem. However, if this third section falls into that consideration feel free to ignore it and pay attention to the first two. Anyway, by creating a separate pageant it would appeal to the LGBTQIA+ while not interrupting or disturbing the regular pageants. It is always an available option to see if this venture will become popular or if the loud minority really was a minority and it fails after a few years… or months.

Finally, consider this, aside from bringing up the “inclusion and good-will” argument, consider that what we're seeing now is more than simply allowing LGBTQIA+ competitors to compete in Miss Universe Philippines; it's a complete rewrite of the rules, a disregard for biology, and, as a result, the end of the nuclear family, as well as a departure from religious and moral standards. More so especially because this is a Philippine franchise/branch, you know how conservative we are?

- What Is Gender Dysphoria? (2013). Psychiatry.org. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gender-dysphoria/what-is-gender-dysphoria#:~:text=Gender%20dysphoria%3A%20A%20concept%20designated,gender%20diverse%20people%20experience%20dysphoria.

‌- Shermer, M. (2013). The Left’s War on Science. Scientific American, 308(2), 76–76. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0213-76

- Mcleod, S. (2014). Biological Theories of Gender | Simply Psychology. Simplypsychology.org. https://www.simplypsychology.org/gender-biology.html

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As the national director of the Miss Universe Philippines franchise, I will exclude any LGBTQ+ members who are interested in participating in the said pageant that is based on SEXUAL IDENTITY, for a few reasons. One is that you were born a man who chose to change your sexual identity through surgery, thus becoming a Trans-gender woman. Another reason I want to exclude LGBTQ+ contestants is that it will be unfair to the other contestants who are straight or real women; if I allow LGBTQ+ contestants to compete in the pageant, it will cause a stir or issue in our franchise, making me accountable for my actions and damaging our country's image. If I allow these things to happen in the Miss Universe pageant it will create an imbalance towards our contestants who want to join.

There are a lot of women who work hard and do their best just to become a representative or a contestant to represent us in the miss universe pageant. Instead of fighting for their spot in the miss universe pageant, I will try to suggest to them to join other competitions or pageants that are based on their sexual identity or that's where they are most suited for.  It's not that I'm being homophobic or excluding them from these big franchise groups rather I'm being practical, fair, and honest to other people who want to have equal opportunities to be a part of this franchise.

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As director of the event, I will not allow the LGBTQ+ community to participate in events like Miss Universe that are based on SEX.

It is the same reason why transgenders that went from male to female are not allowed to participate in all women's sports, because even  though you underwent surgery, your biological build is still not the same and it is unfair to the other women athletes.

The way I see it, your life experience is entirely different from someone born as a woman. This competition is for them.

Instead of trying to fight to join this competition, I'd rather put a different category and event that's actually dedicated for the LGBTQ+ community, because on those grounds it is fair, because it is about their own community. Your life experiences are different.

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Good luck everyone :)