First black queen at Thailand's transgender pageant — China came third

Miss International Queen 2019, arguably the world’s most prestigious trans pageant, crowned its latest winner in Pattaya, Thailand on Friday. History was made when judges selected their first queen of African descent, Miss USA Jazell Barbie Royale.

Jazell is more than a pageant girl. She is a full-time HIV awareness advocate with a message to spread, a cabaret performer and an opera singer. Her historic win moves the pageant, which featured 20 candidates from as many countries this year, forward in strides – and fittingly since this year’s theme was world equality.

 The contestants were graceful, talented, sexy, and accomplished – this year they included an engineer, business owner, NGO worker and two popular YouTubers. They were as stunning as you would expect: swinging hips and hair, shining smiles, endless legs, and a staggering ability to prance in terrifying heels. They weren’t beautiful for trans women, they were beautiful women. Full stop.

One of the bigger questions the pageant begs is how beauty contests serve – or disserve – the trans community.

Traditional pageants can do a mighty job of reinforcing unrealistic beauty standards. While they may do the same in the trans world, they also provide positive visibility to an often marginalised population, making the deeper answer a more complicated conversation where benefit must be weighed against detriment.

Here, while the entrants appear in a way that only a tiny percentage of trans women could ever hope to look, they help their community in larger ways as visible totems of success and hope for their disenfranchised brothers and sisters that may not see a clear path to a successful life.

Veena Sendre, Miss India, grew up as an untouchable tribal village boy. “In India, people always see us as beggars or sex workers. Being a role model is important so that other people who think there are no avenues for them can see me and take strength.”