Thai crowns trans gender as Miss Universe Thailand last night

One of the world's largest transgender beauty pageants Miss Tiffany Universe Thailand has crowned Jiratchaya Sirimongkolnawin as Miss Universe Thailand 2016, last night.

She beat 29 other aspiring queens at the extravaganza in Pattaya city of Chonburi province on Friday night.

Jiratchaya is a model and fashion designer who formerly studied dental Health at Srinakharinwirot University, and is the face for beauty centres such as the Atom Clinic in Bangkok, according her social media profiles.

The Miss Tiffany show has been held annually since 2004 in Pattaya at the Tiffany's Show Theatre, known for its transvestite cabaret shows, and has been hailed as a mark of tolerance in the majority Buddhist nation.

To be eligible to enter the contest, participants must be aged between 17 and 25 and born male, though they can be at any stage of gender reassignment and surgery.
"The Board of Directors selected from the beautiful women from across the country, 30 finalists under the theme of 'Lifespiration'," the organisers posted on their Facebook Page, explaining that the contestants had to prove their beauty, brains and personality were inspiring to others
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As well as being dubbed the most beautiful "third gender" in the country, Jiratchaya received a cash prize of 150,000 baht ($A5821), an 800,000-baht car, and vouchers for aesthetic treatments at hospitals valued at more than 110,000 baht.

Reuters report is here http://www.reuters.com/news/picture/...eId=USRTX2AVUR

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All three are knockouts. In the USA, transgender rights is now a political "hot-potato".

And the Philippines has just elected its first transgender politician.