Japanese transgender crowned global beauty queen

Haruna Ai, a Japanese transgender, won the champion of "Miss Transgender Cosmos Pageant" on Oct. 31.
According to a report from Taiwan's NOWnews, the fifth "Miss Transgender Cosmos Pageant" was held in competitive spirit on Oct. 31 in Pattaya, Thailand. Japanese transgender Haruna Ai finally won the Championship by beating 18 competitors from 11 countries.

The 18 competitors were from the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore, UK, China and U.S. and some of them still maintain their male bodies. Last year, the competition was cancelled because of the Thai Yellow Shirts' demonstration.

Haruna Ai, the champion of the pageant, had sex change surgery when he was 19 and won her fame imitating a famous Japanese artist in Japan. When she realized she had won, her face was filled with surprise.

Compared with other countries, Thailand has an open policy and positive outlook on transgender. However, the identity of female transgender citizens under Thailand's law is still male, and sometimes they also receive discrimination.

By People's Daily Online