A transgender Filipino woman who was disowned by her parents has made
history after being the first to be crowned Miss Intercontinental New
Zealand 2020.
Arielle Keil, 26, who was born in Davao City, Philippines as a boy
named Andrew, grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. He started transitioning
in 2017 and had his gender reassignment surgery earlier this year.
She spent $15,000 on the ‘top to bottom’ procedure that involved breast implants and a vaginoplasty in Thailand.
The beauty queen, who was recently crowned describes being the first
post-operative transgender contestant to compete in the Miss New Zealand
pageant as ‘actually bada**’.
Arielle
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, she said: ‘The pageant was an amazing
experience! It’s something I’ve wanted to do for the longest time so to
actually live out my dream has been amazing!’
Arielle, who is studying for a fashion design bachelor’s degree,
revealed coming out as a transgender woman was more ‘terrifying’ than
telling people about being a gay man”.
According to her, she decided to be openly transgender to avoid having any regrets in later life.
Arielle said: ‘I’d already spent the formative years of my life as
the wrong gender, I didn’t want to waste my twenties in the wrong body
either.
‘This way of thinking really helped me come out to my parents because
I knew that whatever their reaction was, this was something I needed to
do for myself.’
The 26-year-old was initially kicked out by her family, who struggled
to support her decision they found out she was undergoing hormone
treatment. They gave two choices – ‘to stop or leave home.’
Arielle
The beauty queen disclosed that she packed everything she owned into a
black rubbish bag and left her family home, not knowing what would
become of her.
‘My life turned upside down when I transitioned … but I would rather
go through hell as a woman than have an easy life as a man,’ she said.
‘Whatever the universe wants to throw at me – do it.’
Arielle, who battled severe bouts of depression and contemplated
taking her own life during her transition, says she’s happy, not scared,
and here to stay as a woman.
Related Posts:
There has been no response to "Filipino Woman Disowned By Her Family For Being Transgender Emerges Miss New Zealand (Photos)"
Post a Comment