“I am very disappointed with the decision taken by the Miss Universe … organizers,” Jenna Talackova said in her reaction as she was disqualified for the Miss Universe Canada. Jenna Talackova, the 23-year-old transsexual contestant, was set to compete in the Miss Universe Canada beauty pageant this May.On Friday, Talackova, a Vancouver resident, was booted from the Miss Universe Canada competition "because she did not meet the requirements to compete despite having stated otherwise on her entry form," the organization said in a statement.
Miss Canada Universe released the following statement, “Jenna Talackova from Vancouver, British Columbia will not compete in the 2012 Miss Universe Canada competition because she did not meet the requirements to compete despite having stated otherwise on her entry form. We do, however, respect her goals, determination and wish her the best.”
No word on which "requirements" Talackova lacked. Jenna Talackova, 23, was born male but has identified as a female since age 4. She began hormone therapy at 14 and underwent gender reassignment surgery at 19.
She was listed on the official Miss Universe Canada website as a contestant until it was discovered that she was transgender. As the blogosphere buzzed about the news, the organization quietly removed her profile from the site. She tweeted, "I'm not going to just let them disqualify me over discrimination." She says she has been "disqualified for being born."
Miss Universe Canada's official rules do not contain any mention of sex changes or of elective surgery. In order to be a candidate, one must be a Canadian citizen between 18-27, and must not be married or pregnant.
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