Miss Universe Organization, GLAAD Finalize Policy Change Allowing Transgender Contestants

GLAAD announced this morning that after a series of meetings, the Miss Universe Organization has changed its policy allowing transgender women to compete in its competition:

"GLAAD first contacted the Miss Universe Organization on Saturday, March 24 after news broke that Jenna Talackova was disqualified from the Miss Universe Canada competition. GLAAD called on the Miss Universe Organization to review Jenna's case, as well as open the competition to transgender women. After unsuccessful attempts to reach Jenna Talackova personally, the Miss Universe Organization and its owner Donald J. Trump moved forward and announced last week it would allow Jenna to compete. To further demonstrate its commitment, the organization, in consultation with GLAAD, discussed a policy change that includes transgender women in time for the start of this fall’s 2013 pageant season; a time when most of the competitions around the world begin to take place."

Said GLAAD spokesperson Herndon Graddick:

"For more than two weeks, the Miss Universe Organization and Mr. Trump made it clear to GLAAD that they were open to making a policy change to include women who are transgender. We appreciate that he and his team responded swiftly and appropriately. The Miss Universe Organization today follows institutions that have taken a stand against discrimination of transgender women including the Olympics, NCAA, the Girl Scouts of America and The CW’s America’s Next Top Model. Jenna and all of the LGBT advocates who have called for this change and spoken out in support of transgender women are to be commended. At a time when transgender people are still routinely denied equal opportunities in housing, employment and medical care, today’s decision is in line with the growing levels of public support for transgender people across the country.”

GLAAD also noted in its announcement that the policy change was made not in collaboration with Talackova's attorney Gloria Allred, but in spite of her. It made special note that: "The decision to allow Jenna Talackova to compete was determined following discussions made prior to Gloria Allred’s public involvement."

Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, also offered this statement:

“We want to give credit where credit is due, and the decision to include transgender women in our beauty competitions is a result of our ongoing discussions with GLAAD and not Jenna’s legal representation, which if anything delayed the process. We have a long history of supporting equality for all women, and this was something we took very seriously.”

Allred has been escorting Talackova to shows like 20/20 and The View on a media blitz that has been accompanied by a sideshow Allred-Trump feud over Trump's genitals.

New Zealand Man Crowned 'Mr. Gay World' in Johannesburg: PHOTOS

Andreas Derleth, a stationery store manager from New Zealand, won the Mr. Gay World 2012 competition in Johannesburg over the weekend, StuffNZ reports:

The Mr Gay competition took place over four days and included various challenges, including a photo, sports, fashion, swim suit, public speaking, and local outreach challenges. On the contest's website, it said the winner would not only have the inner beauty of confidence, self-assurance, charisma and natural leadership abilities, but would also take care of his physical beauty. Prizes included $25,000 in travel vouchers to enable the winner to spread his message around the world.

The contest's location, in Johannesburg, drew attention to the plight of gay people in the region as several of the African contestants faced threats:

Namibia's representative, 24-year-old Wendelinus Hamutenya, was hospitalised after being attacked in early December. Ethiopian contestant Robel Hailu, a 25-year-old student in South Africa, received death threats and was disinherited by his wealthy family. South Africa, which won the contest in 2010 and 2011, was represented by a white local councillor from the Eastern Cape, Lance Weyer. "The African delegates are very brave. No one in the West or even in South Africa can get close to understanding the extremely high levels of persecution on this continent. I am proud to be part of a generation of Africans that is prepared to stand up for who we are,'' said 24 year-old Mr Weyer.

Mr Gay World is classed as a beauty pageant but the South African organisers were at pains to stress that the event was more about advocacy than abdominals. The contest had no upper age limit and the top prize was a fairly modest 50,000 Rands (£4,000).

Over four days, contestants were tested on their knowledge of LGBTI issues, put through a wildlife drill, invited for cocktails at the Belgian embassy and put through the rigours of a swimsuit contest. They spent an afternoon doing HIV outreach work before last night's gala finale at the Gold Reef City casino in Johannesburg.

The AP looked at the pageant's influence in Africa:

"I hope and I believe that Namibia will be the second country in Africa to recognize the rights" of gays, Hamutenya said in an interview.

The first country is South Africa, also the first African country to host Mr. Gay World, which debuted in 2009 in Canada. The bill of rights adopted after apartheid ended in South Africa in 1994 explicitly bans discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. Same-sex couples can marry and adopt children in South Africa.

Teboha Maitse, acting chairman of South Africa's Commission for Gender Equality, said she fought white racist rule alongside openly gay comrades, and that experience made her and others aware of the need to enact legal protections for gays. But she said when she travels farther north, "people say, 'You South Africans, you don't behave like Africans.'"

Derleth's partner Tom Linn reacted to the news:

"I'm ecstatic to learn that my beloved partner Andy has been crowned Mr Gay World 2012. He is a non-pretentious, friendly and generous person with great ideas and wisdom, who lives within his means and discipline and true to his words. He worked extra hard in thorough preparations for the Mr Gay World 2012 contest and he truly deserved to win the title."

Watch a slideshow of the "sport" competition, AFTER THE JUMP...

And here's another slideshow on Flickr.

Barbara Walters Interviews Trans Pageant Beauty Jenna Talackova, Gloria Allred, and Donald Trump: VIDEO

On last night's 20/20, Barbara Walters sat down with Jenna Talackova, the Canadian transgender Miss Universe contestant who was rejected (and later reinstated) to the competition after officials discovered that she is transgender.

Walters wastes no time diving into the physical aspects of Talackova's experience, speaking to Talackova about her childhood, her transition, her sexuality, how she took her name (her mother suggested it), and why she decided to enter the pageant.

Said Talackova: "I feel like the universe, the creator put me in this position as an advocate. If it's helping anyone else, and my story, then I feel great about it."

Walters also talks to attorney Gloria Allred, and Donald Trump about their public barbs this week over Talackova, in which Trump appeared on TMZ and boasted about the impressive size of his genitalia.

Trump, in his interview with 20/20, comes up with a bizarre, paranoid and offensive theory that Talackova has an "ulterior motive" because the first letters of her name spell "JENNATAL".

Says Allred: "With all due respect to Mr. Trump, he really needs to stop being focused on genitals. His, or anyone else's. This world does not revolve around his penis or anyone else's genitalia. Whether a person is a woman is not simply defined by her genitalia."

Watch the full segment, AFTER THE JUMP...

Gloria Allred Threatens to Sue Trump Over Trans Pageant Contestant; Trump Threatens to Display His Genitals: VIDEO

Attorney Gloria Allred appeared with Jenna Talackova, the Miss Universe Canada contestant who was disqualified last week from competing in the Miss Universe pageant (the decision was reversed but it's not clear if Talackova will compete).

Allred said that Talackova is considering suing the pageant, People reports:

"Mr. Trump's statement fails to state that the rule that only naturally-born women will be allowed to compete will be eliminated," Allred said. "Otherwise, we are considering all of Jenna's legal options."

Added Allred:

"Jenna entered this competition and gave the pageant her time, her best efforts and her money. She did not think for one moment that what she might have looked like at birth would be relevant. She did not ask Mr. Trump to prove that he is a naturally-born man, or to see the photos of his birth, to view his anatomy, to prove that he was male. It made no difference to her. Why should it have made a difference to him?"

Donald Trump responded by calling TMZ and telling them that Allred would be very impressed with his genitalia, and that he "couldn't care less" if Talackova competed.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Trump Organization Says It Won't Bar Transgender Contestant Jenna Talackova from Miss Universe Pageant

Last week we reported that Jenna Talackova, a 23-year-old Canadian finalist in the Miss Universe Canada competition, was being ejected from the pageant because she is transgender. Now comes news that the Miss Universe organization has reversed itself, ABC News reports:

“The Miss Universe Organization will allow Jenna Talackova to compete in the 2012 Miss Universe Canada pageant provided she meets the legal gender recognition requirements of Canada, and the standards established by other international competitions,” Michael D. Cohen, executive vice president and special counsel to Donald Trump, said in an email.

The Miss Universe Canada website states that to enter, women must be a Canadian citizen and between the ages of 18 and 27. If basic requirements are met, they are asked to fill out a longer application form. The form does not mention any rules against sexual reassignment surgery.

GLAAD says it is working with the organization to update its policies:

“The Miss Universe Organization made the right decision and has taken an important first step,” said GLAAD's Herndon Graddick. “Now, GLAAD urges the Organization to include all women and use this incident to speak out in support of the transgender community.”

“So many women today do not have equal opportunities for employment, housing and safety simply because they are transgender. The Miss Universe Organization should look to state non-discrimination laws and institutions including the Olympics, NCAA and The CW’s America’s Next Top Model, which do not discriminate against transgender women,” said Graddick.

Watch ABC News report on Talackova, AFTER THE JUMP...

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe Attacks Gays, Tells UK PM David Cameron 'To Hell With You': VIDEO

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe attacked British Prime Minister David Cameron at a celebration for his 88th birthday over Cameron's recent threat linking aid to African nations lagging in human rights, particularly for LGBT people, AFP reports:

"Nature is nature. It has created male and female," Mugabe told thousands of supporters at his 88th birthday celebration at a stadium in the eastern border town of Mutare.

"You David Cameron, are you suggesting that you don't know that or is it some kind of insanity or part of the culture of Europeans.

"In their newspapers, that's one of my sins. That I called (gays) worse than pigs and dogs because pigs know there are males and females. It's even in the Bible that you create through the system of marrying.

"That's how we were born, so we reject that outright and say to hell with you. I won't even call him a dog because my own dog will complain and say, but what have I done."

Mugabe added: "We won't accept [gay rights in our charter]. There are other countries who have accepted that and put it in their constitutions. Please, young men and women, you don't have the freedom for men to marry men and women to marry women. You have the freedom for men to marry women. That's God's freedom. That's what created you and me."

Watch an Australian news report on the Mugabe gala (which doesn't include the remarks above), AFTER THE JUMP...

In news that may be related, the Zimbabwe contestant for Mr. Gay World has dropped out:

Taurai Zhanje, who last week was verbally attacked by many from his local community, pulled out of the contest citing personal reasons. His decision comes after it was revealed that in December last year the first-ever Mr. Gay Namibia, one Hamutenya, was assaulted by men who demanded his winnings soon after he was crowned. Zhanje would not elaborate what he meant by ‘personal reasons.’ The competition says it aims “to advance national and international gay rights through education and public performance”. Zhanje’s intentions had been celebrated by many organisations in the gay community.