Newly crowned Miss Nevada will be the first transgender woman to compete for Miss USA
History was made on Sunday when the first transgender woman was crowned Miss Nevada USA. Kataluna Enriquez will be the first transgender woman to compete for the Miss USA title in November.
"Congratulations to our new Miss Nevada USA @mskataluna 👑 History made!" the official Miss Nevada USA account wrote on Instagram.
Enriquez, who previously took the title of Miss Silver State USA, competed with 21 other women for the Miss Nevada title. She made her own Instagram post following her win, thanking her "pageant mommy" and those who helped her along the way, and marking the fact that her win came during Pride month.
"My times and giggles with y'all never be replaceable. To all the sponsors, thank you. I couldn't have done it without your help. Huge thank you to everyone who supported me from day one. My community, you are always in my heart. My win is our win. We just made history. Happy pride," she wrote.
According to the Las Vegas-Review Journal, Enriquez has been competing in transgender pageants since 2016 and working as a fashion model. She began competing in cisgender pageants in 2020.
"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," Enriquez told the publication after her Silver State win. "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."
"I wanted to share my story and present that I was more than just a body," Enriquez continued. "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."
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