Filipina-American Kataluna Enriquez on Sunday (Monday in Manila) was crowned Miss Nevada USA, making her the first openly transgender woman candidate to compete for the Miss USA title.
Eriquez, aged 27, bested 21 other candidates in the competition held at South Point Casino & Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Should she win Miss USA on November 29, she will be the second trans woman to participate in Miss Universe, after Spain's Angela Ponce who competed in 2018.
In the pageant's preliminaries, Enriquez wore a rainbow-inspired gown that she personally made as a fashion designer. "In honor of Pride month, and all of those who don’t get a chance to spread their colors," she said in her caption.
Though raised in Los Angeles, California, Enriquez' family hails from Angeles, Pampanga.
A pageant veteran, she was U.S.' delegate to Miss International Queen, an international beauty pageant for transgender women, back in March 2018.
In May of the same year, Enriquez competed in Eat Bulaga!'s Super Sireyna Worldwide, again representing U.S.
