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WATCH: Transgender Miss Universe Contestant Talks To Barbara Walters

by Hilary George-Parkin | 1:27 pm, April 7th, 2012

Jenna Talackova, the Miss Universe Canada contestant that was disqualified due to her transgender status and subsequently reinstated after much media and legal backlash, appeared on ABC‘s 20/20 last night.

In her first interview since being booted from the pageant, Talackova sat down with Barbara Walters to talk about growing up as a boy named Walter, undergoing hormone therapy, and sexual reassignment surgery:

“It was terribly painful, but seeing something on your body for that long and not being able to look at myself in the mirror because I couldn’t stand seeing the other part, it was actually very rewarding, too.”

Her mother, Myrtle Perry, and lawyer, Gloria Allred, were also interviewed for the program. Said Allred:

“What happened to Jenna is very, very important. The Miss Universe competition had the rule that a contestant had to be a naturally born female. That is a rule that is blatantly discriminatory. I am so proud of Jenna because she has fought to eliminate this rule.”

Talackova is embracing her new role as an advocate for transgender rights:

“If it’s helping anybody else – my story and my actions – then I feel great about it.”

Watch the full clip below:


[ABC]



  • Wethree3

    I hope he/she wins Miss Canada Universe. It will give women a taste of their own “equal rights” medicine.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1760143143 Kevin T. Cole

    Donald Trump says Jenna can compete, but her name and info haven’t yet reappeared on the http://www.beautiesofcanada.com website.  That site has a page allowing one to vote for a candidate for “peoples’ choice” but voting for Jenna is not an option.  This really needs to be corrected now if the pageant is going to allow her to compete.

  • live and let live

    you should refer to Jenna as she! duh

  • Anonymous

    The above comment is so screwed up, I don’t even know where to begin. 

  • http://twitter.com/trialia Trialia

    You GO girl. Change the world for the better, you’ve already started. And you’re gorgeous, by the way.

  • http://twitter.com/trialia Trialia

    As a cisgendered woman, I would love to see Jenna win the competition. She deserves it – not only is she gorgeous, she’s revealing herself to be smart and brave, too. So take your bigoted rhetoric and go soak your head in a barrel.

  • VL -

    The thing is . . . . this only demonstrates to win such competitions one must go through unnatural acts to become what everyone is defining as ‘gorgeous’.  I find it unfortunate there aren’t rules against plastic surgery – for women and transgenders – in these competitions.  Jenna is not naturally beautiful – as a woman – Jenna is transformed into a woman Jenna felt would be beautiful.  Jenna defined every aspect of the transformation.  Jenna is created into the image Jenna wanted to be.  I think we should encourage people to be natural and true beauties.  I respect Jenna’s passion.  However, I do not see it to do anything but confirm – the  only way to compete in these beauty pagents is to have a ton of plastic surgery – whether you are woman or man. 

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