A historic day for the world of beauty. Beatrice Luigi Gomez is the first openly queer miss universe Philippines and will have the important task of representing the Asian nation for the Miss Universe and Miss International pageants.
To get started, let’s understand what it means to be queer. Within the range of sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBTIQ +) is the letter ‘Q’, which means in a nutshell that it is not pigeonholed into a single gender, that it does not have a majority gender identity. “Sometimes I feel like Beatrice and other times I feel like Luigi” , said the aforementioned model.
Bea, as she is called in her closest circle, beat out 27 other candidates competing on the coronation night held in Panlao, Bohol. She will have the important job of representing the Philippines in the Miss Universe 2021 pageant, which will take place in Israel in December.
Beatrice Luigi Gomez will represent the Asian country in the Miss Universe held in Israel this year.
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Upon obtaining the crown, the criticisms, mostly religious in origin, arose almost immediately. However, Bea was not intimidated and responded with similar arguments.
“When people condemn me because they say it’s not what the Bible says, somehow it always reminds me that being able to say who I am on stage, in front of thousands of people, was what God wanted me to do.” Bea said in an Instagram post in 2020.
Her triumph is also one for her community, living in one of the most conservative countries where same-sex marriage is prohibited. Even its president, Rodrigo Duterte, has had several homophobic and misogynistic comments, so one of the biggest dreams of the Miss Universe Philippines is that the youngest members of the LGBTIQ + community are free from harassment and violence.
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“I aspire to acceptance and inclusion, especially equal rights and protection for the younger generation who often suffer from harassment and different forms of violence. They are left to fend for themselves, particularly those who are oppressed by their own parents “ he told Cebu Daily News.
