Miss Universe Bhutan 2022 Tashi Choden will not only be the first contestant to represent Bhutan at the Miss Universe competition, but she is also the Himalayan country's only openly gay public figure.

On winning the opportunity to represent Bhutan at an international platform, Tashi said, "I'm not only speaking for the Bhutanese community but I'm speaking for the minority community on a platform like the Miss Universe pageant. I can be their voice."

The 23-year-old Tashi lost both her parents when she was 14. She came out last June, on International Pride Day, after ‘a lot of research and introspection.’ Initially, Tashi got a lot of criticism from her conservative and religious family members, but Choden said it was important for them to be part of her coming-out process.

Now with de-criminalization, Tashi has the opportunity to speak up openly for the LGBTQ righs. "With the decriminalization... I feel more comfortable in public than before. I like putting on make-up and going out, and it's not a normal thing for a guy to come out with make-up”, Tashi quoted.

Several transgender women have had their names and gender changed on their citizenship identity cards and the LGBTQ community is slowly becoming more visible. Community-based organizations -- like Queer Voices of Bhutan and Pride Bhutan -- and an NGO called Lhak-sam have also provided support through advocacy.

"Having a queer woman become Miss Bhutan enables the rest of the queer community, especially queer youth, to aim for bigger goals in their lives. This representation has paved the path for the rest of us to be confident about who we are on public platforms”, Tashi concluded.