Who was the first openly transgender contestant to compete at Miss Universe?

Ángela Ponce was the first openly transgender contestant to compete at Miss Universe.

The Spanish model won Miss Universe Spain 2018 and represented Spain at the Miss Universe 2018 competition in Bangkok, Thailand. Her participation marked the first time an openly transgender woman competed in the international Miss Universe pageant. She did not advance to the final rounds, but her appearance was widely recognized as a milestone in pageant history.

Miss Universe had changed its eligibility policy in 2012 to allow transgender women to compete. Ponce’s achievement therefore came six years after that policy change, making her participation historically significant even though she did not win the title.

Jenna Talackova is a frequent source of confusion: she became a prominent transgender contestant in the Miss Universe Canada system, but Ponce was the first openly transgender competitor at the global Miss Universe event. Catriona Gray won the 2018 crown for the Philippines.