Rikkie Kollé just made history as the first openly trans woman to win Miss Netherlands, and she’s not stopping there! Next stop: Miss Universe
Rikkie Kollé recently created a significant milestone by becoming the first openly transgender contestant to win the prestigious Miss Netherlands pageant. Her victory has secured her a place to represent her country in the upcoming Miss Universe competition later this year.
Following her triumph at the AFAS Theater in Leusden, Kollé expressed her happiness in an Instagram post, sharing, “I did it! I have made my community proud and demonstrated that it can be achieved.” She included a trans flag emoji to symbolize her identity and cause.
Throughout the competition, Kollé effectively utilized her platform to advocate for a more inclusive vision of beauty pageants and to inspire others. In a video posted on her Instagram page last month, she revealed that Miss Universe had asked contestants to describe themselves in one word.
Kollé confidently chose “victory” because, as she explained, “as a young boy, I overcame every obstacle in my path—and now, here I stand, as a strong, empowering, and confident trans woman.”
At 22 years old and hailing from Breda, Kollé received her crown from last year’s winner, Ona Moody, while the reigning Miss Universe, R’Bonney Gabriel, presented her sash. In her heartfelt message to others, Kollé emphasized the importance of unity, encouraging everyone not to forget that they can achieve greatness together and are never alone in this world. She urged them to dream of becoming their most confident selves and to disregard anyone trying to dictate what is best for them, affirming that the only thing that truly matters is becoming the best version of oneself.
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