I was the first trans person to participate in the Miss USA pageant after experiencing bullying as a child.

• When Kataluna Enriquez competed in Miss USA as the first trans woman, she made history.
• Pageants assisted Enriquez in overcoming decades of self-consciousness and vulnerability regarding her race and gender.

This is an as-told article that was inspired by a conversation with Kataluna Enriquez, the first transgender Miss USA participant who made history at the age of 30. The writing has been lengthened and clarified.

I was aware of my uniqueness at a extremely young age. I already knew who I truly was by the time I could talk or convey my likes and preferences.

There was a lot of faith in the Philippines, where I was raised because the country is really Christian. People have been pointing out to me since I was a young child that I should n’t play with my sister’s toys or choose her clothes over mine. In addition, I spent more time with my female relatives than my male ones. People always told me not to be too girly because it was wrong, no matter what I did.

When I was ten years old, I immigrated to the US and found a unique system and speech. I had to quickly discover a lot of new things. In addition, I was merely attempting to comprehend myself.

Being a first-generation person, I dealt with prejudice. My lunchboxes, which contained Filipino foods like wheat, meat chorizo, and lumpia, made fun of me by other students at school. Therefore, when boys found out I was transgender, they also bullied me about it.

I had no idea how to handle harassment when I was a child. I suppressed myself in order to succeed and taught myself to be afraid of my own society. I discovered that I was holding myself again so I was please other people, and that it was affecting both my personal life and my career.

I’m starting my first parade.

While I was transitioning, I chose Kataluna as my title. My two first names are combined to form” Kat,” and” Luna” was inspired by the remarks I frequently heard during my early years of transition:” You’re like a moon, majestic and magical.”

Four decades after I transitioned, in 2015, I entered my first show, a transpageant. To restore self-assurance and comprehend who I was, I made the decision to try pageantry.

In the Philippines, ceremonies are very popular. Pageantry used to objectify or sexualize people in my younger years, but now I see it differently. It’s more about realizing that these women are capable of so much more than just being attractive. I wanted to be a part of that.

I did n’t know how to dress myself during my first pageant. I lacked a closet. I eventually made my own clothes, but I was n’t very good at it, so the dress started to fall apart when I entered the stage. In order to avoid being dressed on step, I held onto the front.

All the outfits I end up wearing in contests are created by Kataluna Kouture, which I started after learning how to perform better. For me, clothing has always been a way for me to express who I am.

establishing herself as Miss USA’s second transgender woman

I entered Miss USA as the first openly transgender girl in 2021.

I made foreign news at the time, which was fantastic but also had its difficulties. Many citizens were aiming their attention at me. People appeared to have a viewpoint. However, it assisted me in developing thicker skin and building a solid foundation for myself so that I would n’t be as negatively impacted.

Otherwise, I concentrated on my goal. Why am I acting in this way? There are n’t many people like me in the media because I’m trans and Asian American. I wanted to be that person to others when I was younger because I did n’t have anyone to look up to.

It’s high time people like me are recognized, our stories are heard, and, more importantly, that we’re even honored.

Developing a trans people’s system

You have the opportunity to communicate anything you want to talk about on a spectacle. It gave me the chance to get over my anxieties and join a group that is supportive and forward-thinking. In order to raise awareness of the issues, we are beginning to employ our accents more. That, in my opinion, is emotional wellbeing and LGBTQ+ children.

Because I come from an Asian American family and the idea of “mental health” did n’t exist in our home, mental health is very important to me. There was a time in my life when I wanted to end my own life because of harassment and previous trauma. I prayed that I would n’t awaken.

However, there was one time in high school when I attended my first coaching program. That was very beneficial to me, and I came to the realization that not many people, particularly men, have that knowledge.

In a fast-paced world, we are constantly evolving to the point where we occasionally forget to be human, to feel depressed, and to remain motionless.

I’m trying to make places where transgender people can share their reports. I’ll be taking part in Miss International Queen USA, the largest transgender show, next month.

There is a lot of discussion about how transgender people compete with cis people in pageants, but it’s crucial that there is an area just for trans people because we do n’t often have one. I pushed myself to be on the safer part when I was competing in Miss USA. There were a lot of people who lacked comprehension.

But this time, I’m providing a platform so that transgender people can honestly express themselves and let others observe who we really are.