Transgender woman kicked out of beauty contest

[Puppycow]

Booted out for being born a boy: Transgender beauty queen kicked out of Miss Universe

A beauty pageant has booted a contestant out the competition after discovering the buxom blonde was born a boy.

The Miss Universe Canada organizers threw out Jenna Talackova when they found out she had undergone surgery to become a woman.

The transgendered contestant had already successfully reached the finals in the Miss Vancouver pageant before she was banned from continuing in the competition.

Although the pageant organizers described Talackova as a ‘real girl’ they disqualified her arguing that the rules state that each contestant must be a ‘naturally born female.’

Not the most important issue in the world of course, but why? What reason other than bigotry is there for banning a transgender woman from a beauty contest?

In certain sports I could see an argument being made that being born male could possibly give the contestant an unfair advantage, but not in a beauty contest. If anything, being born male would usually be a disadvantage.

 

[Cainkane1]

I have mixed feelings but to me this type of thing is for women who were born female.

 

[Puppycow]

I have mixed feelings but to me this type of thing is for women who were born female.

Because . . . ?

 

[Kahalachan]

I guess if they wanted to be biologically clear the contest could be called XX Chromosome Universe.

I don't really care or feel this is prejudiced in any way.

It's obviously a contest for biological females.

Edit:

Although they should have a "Most convincing transgender" contest and I'd vote Jenna cause she is really hot.

 

[Arcade22]

Not the most important issue in the world of course, but why? What reason other than bigotry is there for banning a transgender woman from a beauty contest?

Because it's a WOMANS beauty contest. If you're a guy there's Mr universe i guess. Why can't some people just play by the rules?

 

[Cleon]

Because it's a WOMANS beauty contest. If you're a guy there's Mr universe i guess. Why can't some people just play by the rules?

Ms. Talackova is definitely a woman.

 

[Puppycow]

Because it's a WOMANS beauty contest. If you're a guy there's Mr universe i guess. Why can't some people just play by the rules?

Why can't you accept that she is a woman?

 

[Kahalachan]

Is transgender some kind of new woo where people deny biology?

Biologically Jenna is a male and psychologically she is a girl.

This isn't like citizenship where you're born something but can change it legally and socially. Biology and evolution divide our genders because we are sexually reproducing animals. When the day comes where we can switch something born a male to a sexually reproducing female and vice versa and completely reverse sexuality, then I guess we can change that.

Respectfully I call Jenna a girl. Sexually, Jenna is attractive to me as a straight male. Objectively and officially she is a guy.

 

[Puppycow]

I don't really care or feel this is prejudiced in any way.

OK, so those are your feelings, but setting your feelings aside isn't it an objective fact that this rule is discriminatory?

 

[Cleon]

Is transgender some kind of new woo where people deny biology?

Perhaps you should learn more about the subject before pontificating about it.

 

[Puppycow]

When the day comes where we can switch something born a male to a sexually reproducing female and vice versa and completely reverse sexuality, then I guess we can change that.

So women who are infertile or had a hysterectomy are not women?

 

[quadraginta]

If the contest is so keen on the "natural" thing, I wonder why they don't ban other surgical ... er ... enhancements.

 

[Rasmus]

I have mixed feelings but to me this type of thing is for women who were born female.

Yes, obviously.

But how is that an argument? It doesn't make it right anymore than it would be right if it was explicitly for white woman only.

 

[Kahalachan]

Perhaps you should learn more about the subject before pontificating about it.

I'm well aware of the subject.

It's still woo-ish. The notion that what we want changes objective reality.


I'm born a human male. I can't change the human part. I can't change the male part. Biology flat out said what I am.

 

[Cleon]

I'm well aware of the subject.

You may be aware of it, but you're certainly not educated about it, as evidenced by:

It's still woo-ish.

 

[Pardalis]

Ms. Talackova is definitely a woman.

Genetically she still isn't.

 

[Kahalachan]

Yet there my point stands awaiting to be refuted.

I can think I'm a female horse, but that doesn't change the fact I am a human male.


Sex = biology. Gender = psychology.

Her sex is male, her gender is female.

 

[tyr_13]

Are other enhancements allowed in this competition? If not, that seems a clear enough reason. If they are, not so much.

Male to female transgender aren't allowed to compete in many sports events for obvious reasons.

 

[Kaylee]

If the contest is so keen on the "natural" thing, I wonder why they don't ban other surgical ... er ... enhancements.

I don't know if the current rules do or don't, but it seems to me that it would be easier and more logical to ban contestants based on whether they have had plastic surgery.

 

[RandFan]

I accept that Ms. Talackova is a woman. I didn't always think that people born with XY chromosomes could be women but that was before I studied developmental biology and the many issues associated with reproduction and development. Gender is not the binary absolute that matches our chromosomes. Those who think that Ms. Talackova is quite simply a man are ignorant of scientific facts.

I thank Dr. Steven Novella of NESS for pointing me in the right direction.

That said, should she be in the pageant? I think so but the world isn't simply about what I think. It's a complex issue.