Two men are preparing to compete in the 2023 Miss Universe beauty pageant in November after Portugal voted to award its national beauty prize to a transgender “woman” – a biological male – last week.
Marina Machete, a 28-year-old flight attendant, became Portugal’s first man to win the award on Friday evening, finishing above the other 16 female participants. He explained after his success that he was “proud to be the first trans woman to compete for the title of Miss Universe Portugal,” explaining further that “for years it was not possible for [him] to participate” in the female competition.
“To all of you watching, I just want to say that, just like the universe, your possibilities in life are limitless,” he added.
Machete is set to share the El Salvador stage with Rikkie Valeria Kolle, another transgender female who won the Miss Netherlands prize in July this year.
Miss Universe only permitted transgender women to participate in the competition as of 2021. The first man to compete in the competition was Spain’s Angela Ponce in 2018.
WATCH:
show lessMiss Portugal 2023 is a man. pic.twitter.com/doLWt1VUmX
— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) October 7, 2023