This Dutch Model Has Become The First Transgender Woman To Be Crowned Miss Netherlands
The Netherlands’ Rikkie Kollé will become the second trans woman to compete at the Miss Universe pageant.
The Dutch model, Rikkie Kollé has become the first trans woman to be crowned Miss Netherlands on Saturday July 8.
The 22-year-old will now represent her country at the Miss Universe pageant in El Salvador later this year.
She will become the second openly trans woman to compete in a Miss Universe competition after Spanish model Angela Ponce, who was crowned Miss Spain in 2018.
Kollé said she realized she was born in the wrong body when she was 8-years-old.
After joining a waiting list for 2 years, she finally transitioned in 2022.
Kollé says she has constantly faced bullying and online abuse for being herself.
“From bullying to appointments to running home crying, things didn’t go well and I often thought, “Why me? Why does this happen to me?” But I always had a lot of support from my beloved family and friends,” she said on Instagram after her transition surgery.
She said she hopes to use her position to uplift young LGBTQ people and raise awareness about transgender health care procedures in the Netherlands.
“Wherever you are in the world, I want to be there for you and be the example that I missed as a little me,” she wrote on Instagram after winning.
