The Spectator

Who lifted the ban on trans women taking part in Miss Universe?

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issue 15 July 2023

Mx Universe

A transgender woman was named ‘Miss Netherlands’, and will now compete in the Miss Universe contest. British TV viewers might be surprised to learn there are still such things as beauty pageants, given they disappeared from the main TV channels in the 1980s. They might be even more surprised to learn who was responsible for lifting the ban on transgender women taking part in Miss Universe.

– The decision was made in 2012 by Donald Trump, who then owned the franchise for the competition, after a Canadian trans woman, Jenna Talackova, had been banned from taking part and her cause had been taken up by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

– Remarkably, the contest continued to ban women who were married or pregnant, although that was lifted this year.

A visit from Potus

How many visits have US presidents made to the United Kingdom?

John F. Kennedy                                          2

Lyndon B. Johnson                                     0

Richard Nixon                                             3

Gerald Ford                                                 0

Jimmy Carter                                               1

Ronald Reagan                                            3

George H.W.

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