Beyond Beauty: What Pageants Mean for Transgender Women
Beauty pageants for transgender women can offer visibility, opportunity, community, and advocacy, while also raising questions about what beauty really means…
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Through 2022 and into 2023, the beauty pageant stage for transgender women has repeatedly been questioned about how necessary it still is, at a time when people's definition of beauty keeps changing and evolving, from the idea that everyone is beautiful in their own way to the deeper question of what kind of beauty is truly beautiful.
Time and again we hear phrases like "she speaks beautifully," "she has a beautiful smile," or "she walks with power." Yet even after a competition reaches its final decision, disputes can still arise over which contestant was really the most deserving of the crown.
The value of beauty pageants for transgender women
Even if the value of a beauty pageant may come down to being a stage that turns an ordinary person into someone the wider public comes to know, there is no denying that beyond the "spotlight" the winner receives, the message of the pageant itself is reflected through the contestants each stage chooses to feature.
Anilya Boro may not have won the crown at India's Miss Trans NE pageant this year, but competing with her parents there to cheer her on was one of the most affirming things that could happen to a transgender woman.
"I had to prove to my parents what I could do as a girl," said the 22-year-old.
"I did not win the competition, but I am very happy to have my parents supporting me. Now they accept my decision to live as a girl and to have surgery, but they don't want me to rush," she added, speaking about how she felt after gaining acceptance from a family that had not understood her before.
The contestants came from as many as eight remote northeastern states of India. Some live in the Himalayas, in areas that remain relatively undeveloped but focus on conservation and preserving the region as it once was, places known for their beautiful natural scenery and for towns that have not encroached or expanded into the surrounding forests.
"The pageant we just held celebrated the beauty and identity of the northeast and the pride of the LGBTQ+ community, in order to uplift the entire transgender community," said organizer Ajan Akash Barauah.
Organizations that support transgender women in pageants
It was far from easy to stage the pageant without corporate funding, so Barauah turned to friends and to organizations that support transgender people to fund the event. Gender minorities across India have gained a degree of acceptance, especially in big cities, and transgender people were recognized with equal rights as a third gender in 2014. Even so, prejudice persists, and the community still faces discrimination and rejection from their families. They are often denied jobs, education, and healthcare because they are seen as different from what mainstream society accepts.
Barauah lived in India's capital for 13 years as a fashion designer before moving back to her hometown of Guwahati, in the northeastern state of Assam, after the COVID-19 pandemic hit India. She won the title of Trans Queen in 2014 at a contest held in Vishakhapatnam in the south, and later decided to help the community in the northeast.
"The Miss Trans NE pageant on November 30 was open only to those who identify as women. Next year, it will also include transgender men," Barauah said.
Boro remains optimistic and dreams of one day becoming Miss Universe. Her mother, Aikon Boro, said Anilya wore only girls' clothes from the age of six or seven and felt most comfortable in them.
"Everyone in the family tried to change her habits and her behavior, but she wouldn't listen. Now the family accepts her as a transgender person," she said, smiling with pride at her own decision.
The top prize at Miss Trans NE went to Lucey Ham from Itanagar in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China, while Aria Deka and Rishidhya Sangkarishan, both from the far northeastern state of Assam, were named runners-up. "I am overjoyed. I have no words. I will never forget this greatest moment of my life," Ham said after being named the winner.
Building awareness and visibility for transgender women
Raising awareness about transgender people and educating others about their rights is what drew Barauah to this work. "People should know about gender equality everywhere. Whether you go to an office, a hotel, or a public restroom, you have the right to ask for appropriate facilities," Barauah said.
It is heartening that there is a space for transgender people to step into the "spotlight" they deserve, just like on any other pageant stage, so they can be a voice for people like themselves, for those on the margins, and for friends in their community who face gender-based prejudice from both family and society, prejudice that comes without any effort to understand one another.
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Perhaps one day we will see these women on stages that were once reserved for cisgender women. But as times change, those definitions seem to keep widening, because a woman, no matter when she steps into womanhood, is simply a woman who wishes to live her life like any other.
Reference: EURO NEWS
Verified references
Links and relevance to the article’s main topic were reviewed on 13 August 2026. Each source supports only the scope stated in the original document and does not replace personalised medical, legal, or service advice.
- OHCHR: LGBT rights fact sheet Accessed 13 August 2026
