Arielle Keil, half-Filipina, has made history as the first transgender woman to represent New Zealand in the upcoming Miss Intercontinental pageant. The 49th edition of Miss Intercontinental will be held in India.

Arielle shared quite an inspirational message for her fellow members of the LGBTQ+ community who dream of representing their home countries on the global stage in the pageantry in a recent interview with GMA News Online.

“To any queer person wanting to do beauty pageants, I would tell them to continue to be themselves unapologetically. Their entry is already doing so much for our community. Representation is vital especially during these times of uncertainty,” she said.

Arielle has fought a lot of battles with discrimination and prejudice in her life. She has a bachelor’s degree in fashion design and currently studying creative advertising.

On her coronation as well, Arielle had a message for all her fans as she said, “Keep fighting. The world can make us feel like freaks, like we're not what we say we are. But I know who I am. 100 people can call me a man but when I look at myself in the mirror, I see a woman - mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually."