The trans woman who was crowned Miss Netherlands says it is "so sad" to see the Miss Italy competition ban transgender contestants.
Rikkie Valerie Kollé, 22, won the "Miss Nederland" competition in early July, making her the first transgender woman to win the competition. She also qualified to be just the second transgender woman to participate in December's Miss Universe competition.
Since Kollé's victory, the Miss Italy competition has confirmed that it won't be having any transgendered participants this year, after banning them from competing. The Dutch trailblazing participant, Kollé, has spoken out about her disappointment at her European neighbors' decision.
"This is so sad," she wrote on her Instagram stories on Sunday, sharing a link to the news about Miss Italy. "Instead of moving forward. It seems that we are only moving further back," she wrote with a sad emoji.
Earlier in July, Miss Italy Official Patron Patrizia Mirigliani confirmed during an interview with Radio Cusano, as Il Primato Nazionale reported, that contestants must be a "woman from birth."
"Lately, beauty contests have been trying to make the news by also using strategies that I think are a bit absurd," Mirigliani said, according to a Google translation of the transcript.
"Since it was born, my competition has foreseen in its regulation the clarification according to which one must be a woman from birth. Probably because, even then, it was foreseen that beauty could undergo modifications, or that women could undergo modifications, or that men could become women," Mirigliani said, Il Primato Nazionale reported.
Newsweek reached out to the Miss Italy contest press office via email, and to Miss Netherlands title winner Kollé for further comment.
The decision by the Miss Italy event organizers may be surprising to some as a recent poll suggested transgender people are generally looked upon as favorably. In 2016, the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute conducted a poll in 23 countries, including in Italy, to gauge worldwide support for transgender individuals. A majority in 21 of those countries, including Italy, "support policies banning discrimination against transgender people."
Miss Italy's decision became a trending topic online in what became the latest talking point in the trans debate.
Italian American political broadcaster and host of his own podcast, Joey Mannarino, said on Twitter: "It's great to see common sense prevail somewhere!"
It's only right for Miss Italy to do this. As trans women, we have an unfair biological advantage in looking hot. pic.twitter.com/fMcCegtyrj
— Eli Erlick (@EliErlick) July 22, 2023
Eli Erlick, a PhD candidate at UCSC, gave her take as a transgender woman, with a tweet seemingly filled with sarcasm. "It's only right for Miss Italy to do this. As trans women, we have an unfair biological advantage in looking hot," she wrote.
Social media commentator and contributor to the U.K.'s right-wing news channel GB News Adam Brooks reflected on Miss Italy's decision. "Can you believe that we have to celebrate this as a win! Proves how crazy the World has become," he wrote on Twitter.
