Miss Italy Beauty Pageant Excludes Transgender Contestants

The Miss Italy competition has stated that transgender women will not be allowed to compete, with the patron stating that contestants must be "a woman from birth." This comes shortly after Miss Netherlands crowned its first transgender winner. Polling suggests that support for transgender rights in Italy is comparable to other Western nations, with a majority supporting policies against discrimination. The Miss Universe contest changed its rules in 2012 to allow transgender women to compete, and the 2018 pageant saw the first transgender contestant.