A 2022 Miss Universe judge is explaining why the event’s organizer filed for bankruptcy just days before the next main event.
“I think the outrage about a trans woman coming to Miss Universe and preaching, ‘Bring the power back to women,’ couldn’t be more of an oxymoron,” television host and reporter Emily Austin remarked on “Varney & Co.” on Thursday.
“I think her company in Thailand has its own financial issues,” she said, “but it’s just wrong socially and morally.” And others are starting to notice.”
In 2022, Thai business mogul and transgender activist Anne Jakrajutatip of the JKN Global Group paid $20 million for the Miss Universe organization. Jakrajutatip, a transgender celebrity with international popularity, described the purchase at the time as “a strong, strategic addition to our portfolio.”
However, one year later, the franchise appears to be in trouble.
A public filing sent to the Stock Exchange of Thailand from JKN Global Group stated that “JKN Global Group Public Company Limited (the ‘Company’) has filed a petition for business rehabilitation with the Central Bankruptcy Court under the Bankruptcy Act B.E. 2483 (1940) (as amended) (the ‘Bankruptcy Act’) on November 8, 2023, the Central Bankruptcy Court has subsequently issued an order to accept the petition for business rehabilitation of the Company on November 9, 2023.”
In a follow-up statement, the Miss Universe Organization stated that “we confirm that Miss Universe 2023 will be held in El Salvador on November 18, 2023, where a top notch experience provided to our fans will remain our top priorities” because of “the current financial situation.”
At least two transgender competitors are expected to compete in this year’s Miss Universe pageant for the first time: Rikkie Kollé, the first transgender Miss Netherlands, and Miss Portugal, Marina Machete, a flight attendant. Ángela Ponce from Spain was the first trans contestant in the 2018 pageant, but she was unable to make it to the finals.
Austin made a case on Thursday for her opinion that transgender women shouldn’t be allowed to participate in the esteemed competition.
“The way to empower women is not to denigrate and degrade women by letting men, or men who were born into another woman’s body, enter the sports or beauty pageant industries, dress in plastic (they’re beautiful men, by the way), and take over these sectors. That’s the antithesis of women being empowered,” Austin clarified.
The 2022 judge also mentioned that a contestant’s interview is often the basis for decisions, and she mentioned that a transgender woman’s life experiences might not be similar to those of a biological woman.
“Your life narrative and how, as a woman, you’ve changed and wish to make a difference in the world are the basis of the interview. I don’t think you have a truly feminine tale if you were raised as a man and then made the decision to become a woman. I apologize; you have no idea what it’s like to have period cramps. You have no idea what it’s like to genuinely declare, “This is femininity,” as you go down a stage at that time of the month, Austin added.
“You are a man who identifies as a woman, and that’s fine,” she stated. “But don’t start entering fields that are dominated by women; set boundaries and a line. That is the issue.