Angela Ponce Camacho represented Spain at the Miss Universe 2018 on 17th December 2018 at IMPACT Arena, Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi Province, northern suburb of Bangkok, Thailand. She was the first openly transgender woman to win the title of Miss Universe Spain and enter the Miss Universe pageant and was appreciated for her strong performance at Miss Universe 2018 stage but unfortunately, she wasn’t placed at the end of the event finale.
Angela may have not won the title but she was proud of her performance as she represented her country of Spain at the Miss Universe stage as the first openly transgender delegate. After the preliminary rounds, the 27-year-old model said it was “an honor and pride” to be part of the history of the pageant. She also mentioned, “This is for you, for those who have no visibility, no voice, because we all deserve a world of respect, inclusion and freedom. And today I am here, proudly representing my nation, all women and human rights.”
The diva who made her marking in the history of beauty pageants took to her social media account to refer to the International LGBTQ Pride Day and Pride Month in general. She stated, "Raise your flag, stand up and start screaming. Happy day of love, color and freedom.” In one of her interviews, the diva had mentioned that she hopes that one day she will be able to live in a world which is equal for everyone and people would just understand that we are as humans as they are. She mentioned that if her being at the competition was enough to make a difference in the society, she doesn’t want to win the title but do what is she is proud of.
Angela stated; “If my going through all of this contributes to the world moving a little step forward, then that’s a personal crown that will always accompany me.” In one of the recent posts on social media, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray also stated that even though she had friends from the LGBTQ community it was because of Angela’s participation at Miss Universe 2018, she understood the deep roots of the community and became an avid supporter and advocate for them.
Angela once mentioned, “To me, feminism is freedom to do what you want, when you want to. We cannot put brakes on the freedom of women, on one platform or another.” She is grateful to the Miss Universe organization for changing the rules and allowing the participation of transgender contenders for the title after they disqualified Jenna Talackova from the Miss Canada competition because she was not naturally born woman.
The diva’s goal is to be a spokesperson for a message of inclusion, respect, and diversity not only for the LGBTQ+ community, but also for entire world. She has paraded for the best designers in the fashion weeks of New York, Paris, or Milan. She explains that with her participation, she believes that something has changed and she is proud of herself and she is able to live all the experienced and enrich herself that she always dreamt of.
Angela mentioned that she is very grateful for her family who stuck by her side like pillar and shield and made everything easier and less traumatic for her. She looks up to Bibiana Fernandez, Cristina La Veneno, Carla Antonelli and Africa Pastor, who without being trans is a woman who has done a lot for the community.
Miss Universe Spain 2018 Angela Ponce has made her name in the beauty pageant world by being brave, strong, and confident towards her goals and ambitions. She is someone every woman belonging to the LGBTQ+ community who dreams to be a beauty queen. Her continuous fight against the stereotypical world is commendable.
Love Wins! Happy Pride Month!