27-year-old Kataluna Enriquez has just created history for the LGBTQ community in Nevada to become the first transgender woman to compete in the Miss USA contest, 2021. She has recently won the Miss Nevada USA title. She has been crowned Miss Nevada on Sunday, June 27 at the South Point Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.
Enriquez has left behind 21 other contestants to win the title. As such, Enriquez has now become the first transgender woman to win a pageant contest in history. Also, she would also be the first transgender woman to take part in the Miss USA pageant 2021.
Kataluna Enriquez Becomes First Transgender Miss USA Contestant 2021
Kataluna Enriquez, who was crowned as Miss Nevada during Pride month, took to Instagram on June 28 and shared a heart whelming message to thank her sponsors, supporters as well as the transgender community at large.
She wrote, “To my pageant mommy @rissrose2, no words can describe how much I am grateful of you.” She added, “For your constant support, for welcoming me into your home, and feeding me nothing but love.”
Then she continued by writing, “Team @misssilverstate, you are all inspiring. Your love, support and sisterhood has healed many years of struggle.” She further said, “My times and giggles with y’all never be replaceable.”
Kataluna, who is Filipina American also took a moment to thank her supporters for their overwhelming love.
She wrote, “Huge thank you to everyone who supported me from day one,” she wrote. “My community, you are always in my heart. My win is our win. We just made history. Happy pride.”
Congratulatory messages poured in for Kataluna Enriquez on her win. The Miss Nevada USA Instagram account wrote, “Good Morning W O R L D! The Universe rather…. Congratulations to @mskataluna for her historical win!!!”
Kataluna, after this big win, shared few details about her pageant journey to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. According to this, she actually took part in transgender pageants in 2016. Later at the start of 2020, she made an entry into the cisgender pageants.
She said, “I wanted to share my story and present that I was more than just a body. With pageantry, people think it is only about beauty. But it’s how you present yourself, what you advocate for, what you’ve done and the goals you have.”
“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,” she further added.
According to the publication, she even revealed the hurdles that came her way over the years and how she never gave up.
She said, “Growing up, I was often told that I was not allowed to be myself, or to be in spaces that I was not welcome.” She added, “One of the obstacles I encounter every day is just being true to myself. 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. And my differences is what makes me unique, and I know that my uniqueness will take me to all my destinations, and whatever I need to go through in life.”
Kataluna will now be participating in the Miss USA contest in November this year.
