Groundbreaking Transgender Woman Seeks to Contest in Miss Venezuela Beauty Pageant

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Venezuelan beauty pageants, with Miss Venezuela at the forefront, serve as rare moments of unity for a country fraught with division. In these pageants, social class, race, and politics are momentarily shelved as the country collectively decides who will represent them internationally.

Yet, beneath the applause and accolades, Venezuela’s society remains deeply conservative, demonstrating minimal flexibility towards heteronormative deviations. Sofia Salomón, a well-known influencer and Instagram model, is determined to challenge this status quo.

Salomón has submitted her application to compete in the upcoming Miss Venezuela pageant. Should she be accepted, it would mark a historic moment as she would be the first transgender woman to participate.

“Participating in this contest presents an opportunity to shed light on my community, amplify positivity and expose the realities of transgender women,” expressed Salomón.

However, amidst a prolonged crisis that has plunged millions of Venezuelans into poverty and forced 7.3 million to migrate, LGBTQ+ rights are far from becoming mainstream topics for family dinners or dominant campaign issues in the bid to unseat President Nicolás Maduro in 2024.

Upcoming Pride marches in Caracas are expected to attract a few hundred participants, but nationwide acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community is far from reality. Venezuelans, who often idolize European lifestyle, are generally resistant to its expansive inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community and rejection of homophobia and transphobia.

The country’s highest court recently scrapped a law criminalizing consensual same-sex conduct within the military. However, it has been delaying for seven years a ruling on a case that seeks to legalize same-sex marriage. It also hasn’t made a decision on Tamara Adrian’s case from 2004, where the transgender woman seeks a legal name and sex change on her birth certificate and public records. Despite government claims that the current law permits such changes, Adrian and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights vehemently disagree.

Yet, despite the challenges, Adrian became Venezuela’s first transgender lawmaker in 2015 and this year, entered the opposition’s presidential primary race aiming to defeat Maduro.

Adrian states that to effect societal change, there needs to be public policy implementation which is notably lacking in Venezuela compared to other Latin American countries. She also points out that there is frequently a lack of sensitivity towards racist, homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic language.

Salomón, who was one of the top six contestants in Miss International Queen, a major beauty pageant for transgender women, is hopeful about her chances in the Miss Venezuela pageant. Inspired by the inclusion of a transgender woman in Puerto Rico’s Miss Universe contest, she believes that her application is supported by her family, her boyfriend, and her extensive Instagram followers.

Despite Miss Venezuela organization’s silence regarding her application, Salomón remains hopeful. Miss Universe, the international competition that Miss Venezuela winners compete in, has been open to transgender contestants since 2012.

Marcia Ochoa, associate professor of feminist, critical race, and ethnic studies at UC Santa Cruz, has praised Salomón’s bold move. She believes Venezuelan culture has the capacity to accommodate divergent gender identities.

In recent years, Angela Ponce from Spain became the first transgender woman to participate in Miss Universe, and a Thai businesswoman and transgender woman purchased the Miss Universe Organization for $20 million.

Participating in and winning Miss Venezuela can provide a significant platform. For example, Irene Sáez, Miss Universe 1981, subsequently served as the mayor of a Caracas municipality and ran for president in 1998.

However, public opinion varies. Caracas resident Josefina Mejia, who has followed Miss Venezuela for years, prefers a separate contest for transgender women.

The Venezuelan Observatory of LGBTIQ+ Violence reported at least 97 cases of violence against the community nationwide in 2022, including 11 homicides. These numbers are suspected to be underreported as many cases go unrecorded.

Salomón, who harbors aspirations in real estate, has received an acknowledgment of her Miss Venezuela application, but awaits official acceptance. She believes her past experience in modeling and pageantry gives her a competitive edge.

“I believe that experience can’t be fabricated,” Salomón said. “That’s why people have faith that I will create history in the country.”

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Transgender Participation

More about Transgender Participation

• Miss Venezuela Official Website
• Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
• Venezuelan Observatory of LGBTIQ+ Violence
• UC Santa Cruz Feminist, Critical Race and Ethnic Studies
• Tamara Adrian’s Legislative Profile