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Rikkie Valerie Kollé has been crowned as Miss Netherlands 2023, becoming the first trans woman to win the title. The event was hosted this past Saturday, with Kollé set to represent the Netherlands in this year’s Miss Universe pageant.
Kollé, 22, shared her ecstatic reaction on Instagram alongside a photograph of herself being crowned. “I DID IT !!!!!” she wrote in the caption. “Yes I’m a trans woman and I want to share my story but I’m also Rikkie and that’s what matters to me,” she wrote in Dutch. “I did this on my own and I enjoyed every moment.” She proceeded to thank all of her collaborators and also the women participating in the contest.
“And wherever you are in the world, I want to be there for you and be the example that I myself missed when I was little. On to many more adventures, let’s get Miss Universe ready. So excited!!” she concluded her post.
Despite being the first trans woman to win the Miss Netherlands’ title, Kollé isn’t the only trans woman to participate in a Miss Universe pageant. In 2018, Spain’s Angela Ponce became the first out trans contestant to participate in the competition.
Trans women have been competing in various pageants over the years ever since 2012, when the competition first allowed trans women to participate. This year’s Miss Universe will be hosted in December, in El Salvador.
