22-year-old Rikkie Kollé was crowned Miss Netherlands on Saturday, July 8. The contest was held in Leusden, in the province of Utrecht, and there was nothing unique about it other the fact that the victor was the first transgender woman to win the competition in the kingdom. Since 2012, transgender women have been able to compete in the Miss Universe pageant, which was founded in 1952 and for which this election acts as a qualifying contest.
“The winner stole the whole show,” the jury said. We are confident that the organization will be happy to collaborate with this young woman because “her story is very strong and carries a clear mission.” In any case, Rikkie (Valérie), who was born in Breda to Dutch and a former Indonesian colony called Molucca as parents, will compete in the upcoming Miss Universe competition in El Salvador.
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She won’t be the first trans contestant to compete in this event; Miss Spain 2018 Angela Ponce paved the path. Less attention had been paid to Bu Ponce than to the young Dutch model.
In 2018, Kollé had already advanced to the finals of Holland’s Next Top Model, which gave her rapid social media popularity. She participated in a competition held by the Elite agency in 2019. She made the decision to compete in the Miss Netherlands pageant because she wanted to “give a voice” to everyone whose sexual identity didn’t suit the dominant models.
An “important and inspirational” occasion
She described the isolation and “inhuman situation” she had gone through prior to her transition on stage at the Leusden theater. She also discussed the pain experienced by “little Rik, age 10,” who was on the lookout for his identity. “I’m better than I’ve ever been right now, and I want to provide that to anyone who needs it. All the Little Rikkies who must deal with family rejection when they transition to the person they actually want to be, I want to dedicate myself to.
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The Transgender Network’s Remke Verdegem described the occasion as “important and inspiring.” She added that while many transgender persons continue to experience rejection, Rickie “showed how beautiful it is to be yourself.”
Another kind of communication was disseminated on social media. “Miss Netherlands has been chosen by a male. In this post-truth environment, I wouldn’t expect anything different,” stated Eva Vlaardingerbroek, a well-known influencer with strong ties to the conspiracy theory community. Other messages identified Natalie Mogbelzanda, Kollé’s rival and the “real Miss 2023,” as the winner.
However, this news has already affected other areas. For the first time, the neighboring country of Belgium decided on Sunday to permit a transgender woman, age 25, to compete in the upcoming national beauty pageant.
