Miss Universe 2022 Judge Emily Austin Links Outrage over Transgender Contestants to Pageant's Bankruptcy

The Miss Universe beauty pageant is making headlines as a judge claims that the inclusion of transgender contestants has sparked outrage and led the event's organizer to file for bankruptcy. Emily Austin, a judge for the 2022 Miss Universe competition, expressed her views on a show, deeming the situation "morally wrong."

The controversy surrounding the participation of transwomen in the competition is believed to have contributed to the financial troubles of the Thai media company that owns the Miss Universe brand. The company filed for bankruptcy protection after failing to make a payment on a debenture tranche on September 1, triggering defaults on six other tranches.

Emily Austin, in a show, criticized the inclusion of a transwoman in the competition, stating that the outrage over "bringing the power back to women" is contradictory. She suggested that the organizer's financial issues in Thailand are separate from the social and moral concerns she raised.

This year's Miss Universe event features two transgender contestants, Marina Machete and Rikkie Kolle. While Machete, a flight attendant, won Miss Portugal, Kolle made history as the first transgender Miss Netherlands. This isn't the first time transgender contestants have participated, as Spain's Angela Ponce took part in 2018, although she did not advance to the finals.

JKN Global Group, the organizer of the Miss Universe competition, is owned by LGBTQ activist Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, one of the world's wealthiest transgender women, who acquired the pageant for $20 million in 2022. JKN Global Group released a statement indicating that its board of directors agreed to submit a business rehabilitation plan to Thailand's bankruptcy court on November 7. The company believes that this plan will address its liquidity problems within the legal framework, providing fair protection to all stakeholders. Despite the financial challenges, JKN Global Group reassures that operations will continue under the proposed plan.