LAS VEGAS — The Miss Nevada USA pageant has made history as the first transgender contestant has been crowned the winner.
Kataluna Enriquez was crowned the winner Sunday at the South Point Hotel-Casino & Spa in Las Vegas. She will go on to compete for the Miss USA title on Nov. 29, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
“One thing that is important for me is inclusivity, diversity and representation. It’s something I did not have growing up and is still lacking in today’s world,” Enriquez told the newspaper. “Today I am a proud transgender woman of color. Personally, I’ve learned that my differences do not make me less than, it makes me more than.”
Enriquez, who started competing in transgender pageants in 2016, began competing in cisgender pageants in 2020.
She won the Miss Silver State USA pageant in March to get to the Miss Nevada contest, The Associated Press reported.
Several of the gowns she wore during the competition this year, were dresses she made herself.
“I did not always have money and it’s hard for women to find dresses that fit their bodies,” she told the Review-Journal. “Pageantry is so expensive and I wanted to compete and be able to grow and develop skills and create gowns for myself and other people.”
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