By Sarah Holliday
The Washington Stand
Over the weekend, the crown of the 2023 Miss Netherlands competition — a competition designed for women — was given to Rikkie Valerie Kollé, a 22-year-old man who identifies as a transgender woman. The results are “being overshadowed by online backlash,” as phrased by Newsweek. However, it is more accurate to say the backlash is appropriately warranted. This is a competition for women, after all, not a costume party for men who don’t grasp reality.
Political commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek tweeted, “A man just won ‘Miss Netherlands’ 2023. Considering the fact that we live in a post-truth world, I wasn’t even expecting anything else. It’s all so predictable and unoriginal at this point.” By winning the Miss Netherlands competition, Kollé has secured a spot in the 2024 Miss Universe competition as well.
Independent Women’s Voice, an advocacy group fighting to protect women’s sports, also spoke out in opposition, insisting, “This is nothing to celebrate. This is a slap in the face to every single woman who competed against this biological male in a competition designed SPECIFICALLY for women.”
While it is true this competition was made for women, transgender-identifying contestants have been allowed to compete since 2012. Kollé may be the first to win this title, but he is not the first to have competed. Most notably, the 2018 Miss Universe contestant Angela Ponce, another man pretending to be a woman, was the first transgender to compete for that title. Another man competing for the Miss Universe title will be representing Puerto Rico in August. And compounding all of this, Anne Jakrajutatip — another man — now owns the Miss Universe organization.
Many are interpreting the results of the event as proof that men have won the war on women. Of course, it’s understandable why some would feel that way. There are many examples of how men identifying as women are dominating in women’s sports, women’s beauty pageants, and, in some horrific cases, women’s restrooms and locker rooms. It is easy to feel defeated when the LGBT agenda is being shoved into every aspect of life, including the lives of children. However, in light of the events surrounding the Miss Universe competition, there are two Bible verses, in particular, that ought to serve as encouragement in this fight. When hope seems lost, always turn to Scripture.
- Genesis 1:27 — “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
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