Just like that the Miss Universe pageant went from no no no to yes. It turns out that once you hire Gloria Allred the rules which were chiseled out of the hardened hairspray of Donald Trump become more like silly putty. Jenna Talackova is the transgendered woman who was representing Vancouver in Miss Canada Universe. The organizers kicked her out of the competition last week citing some kind of obscure rule about having to be born a woman. When Donald Trump is hitting on you at Miss Universe he doesn't want to take any chances of a hidden surprise if you know what I mean. Jenna underwent reassignment surgery when she was a teen so this should not have been an issue. No one thought it was an issue except for the organizers who would not budge until Jenna hired Gloria. Miraculously last night, just a few hours before Gloria was holding a press conference, Donald's legal counsel said Jenna would be allowed to compete. Huh imagine that. Just like that the rules changed. If someone is a woman, what does it matter how they were born? Gloria had threatened to sue Miss Universe, but I wonder if that will be necessary now.
I'm just annoyed these pageants continue to exist.
ReplyDeleteThank you Enty, you got it right this time :)
ReplyDeleteBefore the haters start in, let me just say that there is a wide variety of gender expression in the human species. There is a lot of disagreement about what it means to "be a man" or "be a woman," and thus we fight about these issues because they really matter to us all on a deep level. Me, I've met dozens of drag queens, a dozen or so transvestites (or biological male men who wear women's clothing always or frequently), and a handful of "women born as men." I've actually met more men-born-as-women, now that I take stock. Everyone has a profoundly different story and experience of gender, so it's hard to generalize about who is or is not a man or a woman. For me at least, it's complex.
ReplyDeleteFor this individual case, the question has to be: What is gained by barring her from the contest? Placating the two-gender absolutists? What would we gain by that?
What would be lost if she participated? Is "womanhood" at stake here? Would Jenna's win mean that ... well, what is the danger here? What are people afraid of?
That's what fascinates me in this.
XX chromosomes: female
DeleteXY chromosomes: male
I'm with you Anita, these pageants need to be done away with.
ReplyDeleteWell, she is prettier than me.
ReplyDeleteThat hair color is doing her no favors.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, honey.
Stay on warm idle Gloria. I'm sure they'll the lawsuit will resume if she doesn't win or place very high.
ReplyDeleteBlah! I agree with the others. Why do we still have these dumb pagents?
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ReplyDeletealthough i'm glad of the result, i have to say i hate gloria allred (again).
ReplyDeletei don't think i've actually heard of anything she's fought without just doing PR. no courtroom battles? shes like a paparazzi lawyer, almost like an ambulance chaser for the DList and below.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Anita-mark, mainly because many participants increasingly use cosmetic surgeries, so why should Jenna be set apart because she had surgeries to enchance her feminine features, like the others.
ReplyDeleteI think transgendered people shouldn't be allowed to compete because they have an advantage in height and how much weight they don't gain. But what do I know?
ReplyDeleteShe actually favors Trump's daughter Ivanka.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say the same thing, MontanaMarriott! She really does look like Ivanka.
ReplyDeleteAnd @BartonFink, once again you have made an excellent point. I find myself agreeing with (and laughing with) your posts over & over again. You're one of the regulars here that I'd love to have a drink with.
I'm actually with Sue Ellen here - people who are genetically coded to be male have slimmer hips, longer legs and are taller than those programmed to be female. These are structural/skeletal issues that are not influenced by the use of exogeneous hormones. We're also not sure what influence it may have on muscle mass vs. fat mass, considering most trans persons do not make the transition until finished adulthood, while many of these factors are determined during andrenarche and menarche (which is well before the age of 14 in Miss Jenna's case).
ReplyDeleteI've always believed that trans people should have their gender oreientation fully and completely respected in each and every way and as soon on their journey as they'd like. But I do think in this case, it's unfair.
Why don't we just get rid of the stupid beauty pagents, instead?
I have lost a lot of respect for this chick. Gloria Allred?! While I don't think she should have been able to compete with the rules being what they were, I was hoping she would handle this productively. I feel like she could have used this experience as a platform to either have the rule changed eventually or to start her own pageant for all women. Instead it looks like she threw a tanrum to get her way. That is just my opinion and I know I am in the minority here. It just looks like she took the easy way out to me.
ReplyDeleteHer looks remind me of Ivanka Trump. That hair colour is doing her no favours!
ReplyDeleteHere's the problem with going to court w/Miss Universe. During document discovery Gloria will ask them to open their files, computers and phones. The public will see comments about whom to select as winner (in advance of the pageant) and the Donald's specifications on who should win that particular year/contest/region. And which dictator's girlfriend should be which country's rep that year. Not a good thing.
ReplyDeleteWell , ever since I joked about Obama I have been attacked in this community. I was called a racist even though I am the same race as Obama.
ReplyDeleteThis site is chock-full of libtards. Obviously.
"This person was born with a penis, but mutilated himself and now appears to have a vagina. It's gender is obviously female!"
Sounds like San Francisco. The city that wants to ban circumcision, yet supply financial assistance to things that want to choose their penis off. Its assisted mutilation in my book.
* choose to chop their penis off
DeleteMost supermodels aren't technically women. I'm glad Trump reversed his decision. He's still an ass, though.
ReplyDeleteOMG, I've had enough of bigots and more than enough of right wing assholes to last a lifetime. Go the FUCK away! Forever! Your kind will be extinct soon.
ReplyDeleteBa ha ha, I was going to say she looks like Ivanka....
ReplyDelete@BartonFink, awesome comment. As a woman who couldn't have children, and subsequently had to have a hysterectomy, I feel that in no way am I less than a woman. I feel the same way with transgendered people. The courage it must take to admit you are in the wrong body, and then have extensive surgery to correct it, I am in awe.
ReplyDeleteOh come on, seriously? As if every contestant didn't have the genetic advantage of being born "pretty." People fall on a very wide spectrum of looks, body type, and gender. I think it's bullshit to say that she has some unfair advantage because males tend to be thinner and taller. There are plenty of fat, short men who would like to point out that they have no genetic advantage at all.
ReplyDeleteShe looks like Ivanka.
ReplyDeleteI tip my hat to her. As for gender who the hell cares, male, female, it only seems to matter to the bigots. I agree, with Mooshki, my husband is great example..but he's adorable and keeps me laughing.
ReplyDeleteWhat BartonFink said.
ReplyDeleteAlso, ferealtart- your response made me happy :)
And Mooshki takes the cake (per usual) <3
redronnie, I meant "genetic advantage" only as far an archaic beauty contest goes - I know that fat, short men can have plenty of other advantages. ;)
ReplyDeleteas i said on a different board... she is probably as full of silicone and fillers as the rest of the augmented contestants, so what's the problem?
ReplyDeleteshe made the decision at 14 to go through this permanent change. how many of us have actually stuck with something we started at 14 (side eye to the flute and art supplies in the corner).
i also know a female who is transitioning to male. it was a little woah at first, but he was so proud of his first chin scruff. it's an amazing thing to see someone commit to this.
She has no more advantage than any other woman competing in a beauty pageant. They tend to be tall and thin in Ms Universe. Anyone recall the name of the last short and chubby MS Universe? Yeah; I didn't think so.
ReplyDeleteAnd every tall, thin transsexual woman can't compete in a beauty pageant so what does weight and height have to do with anything? And being that she has had the full surgery, she is as prone to the same weight gain as any other female as once the body stops producing regular amounts of testosterone; muscle mass is greatly diminished and say hello to the fatty tissue.