Beauty pageant finalist was disqualified for being transgender
A finalist in the Miss Galaxy beauty pageant contest has spoken out – to claim she was disqualified for being trans.
29-year-old Jossy Yendall says she was elated to find out that she had made it through to the final of the UK competition.
However, she told ITV she was shocked to be told by organisers that she had been dropped from the contest because she’s not ‘biologically’ female.
Ms Yendall, a care worker from Gateshead, said: “I mentioned in my application that I’m a transgender female – it was the first thing I put so they knew it was there.
“I was so proud to think that we finally live in a society that accepts transgendered women to this extent.
“But when I emailed to secure my place I mentioned this and was instantly informed I was no longer eligible to compete.
“They say they hadn’t spotted that I was transgender – according to their rules you have to be born female to take part in the pageant.”
Starting a petition to call for a change in the policy, she wrote: “I know that I am not the only one to have experienced this treatment. Routinely women like me are excluded from mainstream pageants because of the body that we were born in.
“This needs to change. Excluding us is not only outdated and transphobic, but I am sure flies in the face of UK laws like the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and The Equality Act 2010.
“If transgendered celebrity Caitlyn Jenner can be named Woman of the Year, why can’t women like us have the chance to compete in these contests?”
A spokesperson for the Miss Galaxy pageant told PinkNews: “As the UK preliminary competition for Miss Galaxy, our finals abide by the rules set by the Galaxy International Pageant.
“At the moment, the rules are inline with other major pageants internationally, including Miss World, Miss Earth, Miss International and more.
“Our UK finals are being held in the next month and so, there would be no rule change implemented before this event.
“That said, this is something that we want to make positive for everyone involved and affected and consequently, this is a matter that we have raised with the CEO of Galaxy Pageants and it is something that will be discussed further at the international pageant finals with the other national directors.”
