Miss Spain Becomes First Transgender Woman To Compete In Miss Universe

Agencies
December 18, 2018

Dec 18: Angela Ponce, better known as the reigning Miss Spain, didn't win the Miss Universe pageant Sunday.

But she didn't seem to mind.

Simply by representing her country this year, Ponce became the first transgender woman to compete in Miss Universe. After the preliminary rounds, the 27-year-old model said it was "an honor and pride" to be part of the history of the pageant.

"This is for you, for those who have no visibility, no voice, because we all deserve a world of respect, inclusion and freedom," Ponce wrote on Instagram on Friday. "And today I am here, proudly representing my nation, all women and human rights."

Though Miss Universe - and other beauty pageants - have undergone scrutiny (and changes) in recent years to avoid objectifying women, Ponce said she embraced the competition as a chance to fulfill not only her personal ambitions but to be an ambassador for Spanish culture.

For her national costume, she donned a traditional Spanish "bata de cola."

"This is an iconic piece in Spain, also known all over the world," Ponce explained on Instagram. "It is a precious reference of my country."

For the talent portion, Ponce danced the flamenco, something she said she had been doing since she was 6 years old. For the longest time, her dream was merely to perform the dance while wearing a flamenco dress. That didn't happen until she was 17 years old.

"For a long time those were things I always wanted to do," Ponce told Miss Universe organizers. "I put so much focus into it, that in the end, it became a reality."

She smiled and motioned to herself, as if to emphasize: She wasn't just dancing the flamenco in a dress now. She was doing it in a dress at Miss Universe.

"None of us are obligated to be here. And for me, it's a platform to share my voice," she told Today Style. "To me, feminism is freedom to do what you want, when you want to. We cannot put brakes on the freedom of women, on one platform or another."

The pageant seemed to embrace her, too, tweeting video of Ponce entering the stage with the caption: "A walk to remember. A historic night for #MissUniverse."

It was a sharp change for the Miss Universe organization, which was criticized in 2012 after disqualifying transgender woman Jenna Talackova from the Miss Canada competition that year because she was not "naturally born" a woman.

After Talackova threatened legal action, the organization - then owned by Donald Trump - changed the rules to allow transgender contestants in its pageants.

"As long as she meets the standards of legal gender recognition requirements of Canada, which we understand that she does, Jenna Talackova is free to compete in the 2012 Miss Universe Canada pageant," Trump attorney Michael Cohen said at the time. "Nobody is capitulating . . . Like all the other contestants, [Talackova] is wished the best of luck by Mr. Trump."

Talackova ultimately finished in the top 12 of the Miss Canada pageant and was one of four contestants awarded "Miss Congeniality." She did not advance to the Miss Universe pageant that year.

Fast-forward six years.

Ponce, who is from Pilas in southern Spain, acknowledged that it had been difficult at times to live as a woman "in a society where everyone said I couldn't do that" - but credited her family for supporting her.

"They're my foundation so that my life could unfold," Ponce told Today.com. "They saw to it that I did not have a traumatic childhood. They are my strength."

The final portions of the Miss Universe pageant were broadcast live Sunday. Miss Philippines, 24-year-old Catriona Gray, was crowned the 2018 winner.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
July 18,2020

Mumbai, Jul 18: Filmmaker and Yash Raj Films (YRF) chairman Aditya Chopra on Saturday recorded his statement with the Mumbai Police in connection with actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case, an official said.

Police have sought information about a contract signed between Rajput and YRF from Chopra who visited Versova police station this morning and left after four hours, the official said.

The "Chhichore" actor, 34, was found hanging at his apartment in Mumbai on June 14. No suicide note was found from the spot by the police.

The police are investigating allegations that professional rivalry, besides clinical depression, drove the actor to suicide.

Police are also trying to understand the reason behind Rajput ending his contract with YRF, the official said.

Earlier, the police had recorded statement of YRF's casting director Shanoo Sharma.

The police had recorded statements of 34 persons, including Rajput's family members and close friends like actors Rhea Chakraborty and Sanjana Sanghi, in connection with the case.

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Friday dismissed the need for a CBI probe into the death case of Rajput, saying the Mumbai police are capable of handling the matter.

On Thursday, Rhea Chakraborty demanded a CBI inquiry to understand what "pressures" prompted Rajput to take the extreme step of suicide.

Rajput starred in films such as Shuddh Desi Romance', Raabta, Kedarnath and Sonchiriya. But his most prominent role came as cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the biopic, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 29,2020

Mumbai, Apr 29: Irrfan Khan, one of India's finest and most versatile actors, lost his battle with a rare form of cancer and died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday, a statement from his family said. He was 54

Irrfan, who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, is survived by his wife Sutapa and his sons Babil and Ayaan.

It is the second tragedy for the family in less than a week. The ?Maqbool? actor lost his mother, 95-year-old Saeeda Begum, in Jaipur just four days ago and could not attend the funeral because of the nationwide lockdown.

Irrfan, that rare actor who straddled multiple worlds, making his mark in both international and Indian cinema in roles intense and light-hearted, was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital with a colon infection

?It's saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it,? the statement from his family said

?Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heavenly abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, 'As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it',? it added.

The news of his death was first confirmed by his "Piku" director Shoojit Sircar who sent his condolences to the family and doffed his hat to the actor's fighting spirit

"My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute," the director said on Twitter.

Irrfan's death came the morning after news that he had been admitted to the ICU with a colon infection.

The self-effacing National Award winner, who acted in films as diverse as ?Life of Pi?, ?The Namesake? and ?Haasil?, had stayed away from the public eye after his diagnosis in 2018 when he went to the UK for treatment.

He returned home in 2019 and shot for "Angrezi Medium", the sequel to his 2017 hit "Hindi Medium". However, his health condition prevented him from promoting the movie, which hit the theatres in March just before the lockdown that began on March 25.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
July 4,2020

London, Jul 4: Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth says he is really excited about the biopic on WWE legend Hulk Hogan, which is currently in development.

"The Thor" actor revealed that he will bulk up his physique for the much-anticipated film to be directed by “Joker” helmer Todd Phillips.

“This movie is going to be a really fun project. As you can imagine, the preparation for the role will be insanely physical. I will have to put on more size than I ever have before, even more than I put on for Thor.

''And then there is the accent as well as the physicality and the attitude. I will also have to do a deep dive into the rabbit hole of the wrestling world, which I'm really looking forward to doing,” Hemsworth told British magazine Total Film.

The project was announced last year, with “8 Mile” scribe Scott Silver and John Pollono attached to pen the script.

It is expected to look into Hogan's rise from the Florida wrestling circuit to becoming the face of the World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s where he squared off with villain Andre the Giant.

The 36-year-old actor, however, said that the team is still “quite a way away” from starting production on the film.

“'I haven't even seen a script yet. The project is deep in development. Todd Phillips and I met to chat about it maybe a year or two ago. We talked about the idea for the film, which I think was going to be a TV series at one point.

''There were a few different ideas about what portion of his life it was going to be set in, so we spitballed about what it could be and what I thought it might be. Thankfully, they ran with a few of those ideas and the script is in the process of being written - but Hulk Hogan is still quite a way away.''

The biopic will be produced by Michael Sugar through his Sugar23's first-look Netflix deal along with Joint Efforts' Phillips and Bradley Cooper, Eric Bischoff, and Hemsworth.

Hogan will also serve as executive producer along with Sugar23's Ashley Zalta. Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman will serve as co-producers.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.