LOS ANGELES — Donald Trump wished a transgender woman who wants to be Miss Universe good luck Tuesday as his organization said she can vie for Canada’s spot in the pageant.
The Miss Universe Organization said it made the decision Monday to let 23-year-old Jenna Talackova compete in the 2012 competition to become Canada’s contestant.
Talackova and attorney Gloria Allred urged the organization to clarify its position and displayed a copy of Talackova’s passport listing her as female, as do her birth certificate and driver’s license.
Talackova, a Vancouver resident, underwent a sex change four years ago after being born a male.
Her sex change initially led organizers in Canada to disqualify her from the 61st Miss Universe Canada pageant next month, citing a rule that she must be “naturally born” a woman.
Talackova pleaded with the pageant’s leaders to drop the rule.
“I am a woman,” Talackova said Tuesday. “I was devastated, and I felt that excluding me for the reason that they gave was unjust. I have never asked for any special consideration. I only wanted to compete.”
Talackova and Allred urged Trump to state that she can vie to represent Canada in the Miss Universe contest if she wins the Canadian contest. They also called on him to eliminate the rule.
“I do not want any other woman to suffer the discrimination that I have endured,” Talackova said.
