OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
It is a new age in the Miss Universe pageant world as the organization formerly owned by former President Donald Trump is now owned and operated by a transgender woman.
But what caught the attention of many on Saturday, after Miss USA won the pageant, was a speech by the new owner.
“Welcome to the new era of the global women’s empowerment platform. Welcome to the Miss Universe Organization,” new owner Anne Jakrajutatip said as the coronation took place in New Orleans.
“From now on, it’s gonna be run by women, owned by a transwoman, for all women around the world to celebrate the power of feminism, diverse cultures, social inclusion, gender equality, creativity, a force for good, and the beauty of humanity,” Jakrajutatip said.
The new owner also detailed the experiences of their life as a transwoman.
“When I was born as a transwoman, [I was] bullied and sexually harassed by my own teacher when I was young. But guess what? I chose not to surrender. I turned pain into power, and I turned life lesson into wisdom,” Jakrajutatip said.
“This stage called [the] Miss Universe competition, we can elevate our women to feel strong enough, good enough, qualified enough, and never be objectified again,” the new owner said.
The crown was won by Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel.
Miss Universe’s new owner: “From now on, it’s gonna be ran by women”
The new owner is a biological male pic.twitter.com/oBmHtV5oY8
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 15, 2023
There was plenty of commentary on Twitter about the speech.
“You MUST accept transgender Miss Universe or you are a BIGOT,” Jack Posobiec said.
You MUST accept transgender Miss Universe or you are a BIGOT pic.twitter.com/7fPFEleiIP
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 15, 2023
“The new boss of the Miss Universe contest proclaims it will now by run by women and will celebrate feminism, inadvertently forgetting perhaps that he is, in fact, a man,” Peter Whittle said.
The new boss of the Miss Universe contest proclaims it will now by run by women and will celebrate feminism, inadvertently forgetting perhaps that he is, in fact, a man. pic.twitter.com/MhRjcPFKWc
— Peter Whittle (@prwhittle) January 15, 2023
“All that plastic surgery, all that costuming, and he’s still obviously male. Only women can be women. And we’re born that way,” Tara Lynn Thompson said.
All that plastic surgery, all that costuming, and he’s still obviously male.
Only women can be women. And we’re born that way.
— Tara Lynn Thompson (@TaraLynnSays) January 15, 2023
“Man ‘becomes’ woman. Man represents what new womanhood is. Man claims victory for all women who are just like him. Which side deserves the ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ comparisons again?” another Twitter user said.
Man “becomes” woman.
Man represents what new womanhood is.
Man claims victory for all women who are just like him.Which side deserves the “Handmaid’s Tale” comparisons again?
— Common Sense Todd (@CommonSenseTodd) January 15, 2023
“It’s a universal platform… I can become the aspiration for so many people, in particular women, LGBTQ, so they can transform,” Jakrajutatip said in an interview with Reuters last year.
In 2015 Trump sold the organization to the WME-IMG Talent Agency.
“When I purchased the pageants many years ago, they were in serious trouble,” he said in 2015. “It has been a great honor making them so successful, and I have really enjoyed watching the pageants grow throughout the U.S.A. and worldwide.”
WME-IMG then sold Miss Universe in 2022 to the organization headed by Jakrajutatip, Thailand based JKN Global Media Public Company Limited.
“We are proud of our team’s success growing and expanding the Miss Universe Organization by utilizing the power of the Endeavor network, drawing on expertise across talent, digital, content, partnerships and licensing,” Endeavor President Mark Shapiro said, Business Wire reported. “We’re equally proud of the progress the organization has made in becoming a more inclusive and powerful platform where women can advance both their business objectives and their cause-based work.”
“We look forward to this next chapter in the Miss Universe story,” Amy Emmerich, CEO, MUO, said. “In the short time I’ve been with the organization, I’ve seen firsthand the passion of our employees, franchisees, and partners, as well as our incredible community. Paula and I see tremendous opportunity with JKN to create further growth for this organization on the global stage and women around the world. Despite having recently celebrated the organization’s legacy of more than 70 years, we are just getting started.”
“We are incredibly honored to be acquiring The Miss Universe Organization and working with its visionary leadership team,” Jakrajutatip said. “The global reach of the Organization, its relationships with global partners and brands, and its wealth of content, licensing, and merchandising opportunities make this a strong, strategic addition to our portfolio. We seek not only to continue its legacy of providing a platform to passionate individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and traditions, but also to evolve the brand for the next generation.”
