A transgender woman became the first person in pageant history to take home the title of Miss Nevada USA in a monumental step for the LGBTQIA community.
On Sunday, Kataluna Enriquez, 27, bested 21 other contestants to win the crown which was held at the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa in Las Vegas. In addition, she will be the first openly transgender woman to compete for the title of Miss USA.
“Congratulations to our new Miss Nevada USA @mskataluna History made!” Miss Nevada USA wrote on their Instagram page alongside a photo of Enriquez in a shimmering sequin rainbow dress with her new crown and sash.
Ahead of the affair, the pageant queen revealed that she had actually created the dress by herself through her own clothing design imprint, KatalunaKouture.
Kataluna Enriquez was the first transgender woman to take home the title of Miss Nevada USA in a monumental step for the LGBTQIA community. In addition, she will be the first openly transgender woman to compete for the title of Miss USA. (Photo by Unique Nicole/Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
“In honor of pride month, and all of those who don’t get a chance to spread their colors,” she wrote of the flowing dress, adding five heart emojis representing the pride colors.
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Her bio on the Miss Silver State USA Instagram account notes that she “fought multiple challenges in her life” and she now “uses her life experiences” for her platform #BEVISIBLE, which is a “campaign to combat hate through vulnerability.”
The page continues: “As a survivor of physical and sexual abuse and a proud Transwoman of color, she aims to break barriers and represent those who aren’t always represented and continues to support numerous non-profit organizations and LGBTQ+ youth.”
Kataluna Enriquez has been crowned Miss Nevada USA.
(Miss Silver State)
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Enriquez will now compete for the Miss USA title in November.
The healthcare administrator and designer raved about the victory in an Instagram post on Monday issuing a “huge thank you to everyone who supported me from day one.”
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“My community, you are always in my heart. My win is our win,” she added. “We just made history. Happy pride,” she wrote.