The first-ever transgender contestant to compete in the Miss Universe Canada pageant has lost her bid to win the title.
Jenna Talackova, 23, competed with 61 contestants on Saturday night. She was among the final 12 contestants.
Talackova, who was born a male, underwent a sex change four years ago. The Vancouver, British Columbia, native was initially denied entry to Canada's pageant because she was not a natural-born female.
Lost: Transgender contestant Jenna Talackova, contestant for Miss Universe Canada, didn't win the title
Ms Talackova, who had the sexual reassignment surgery at the age of 19, sparked a heated gender debate in March after she was thrown out of the competition.
She had already reached the finals of the Miss Vancouver pageant before officials stepped in after it was claimed she lied on her application about her natural-born gender.
The only requirement stated on the Miss Universe Canada website is that to enter, women must be a Canadian citizen and between the ages of 18 and 27.
The application form makes no mention of rules regarding sexual reassignment surgery.
Close to the top: Miss Talackova made it the top 12 contestants in the competition before being eliminated on Saturday
Controversy: Miss Talackova initially was disqualified because she wasn't considered a 'natural-born female'
LGBT activists claimed the organisation was being discriminatory, and more than 20,000 people signed a virtual petition on Change.org demanding that she be re-instated.
Her case was taken on by celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred who is famous for representing clients including a string of Tiger Woods' ex-lovers and Nicole Brown Simpson's family during the O.J. Simpson trial.
Donald Trump, who runs the Miss Universe Organization, subsequently overruled that decision.
'Modernized': Donald Trump, who owns the Miss Universe Organization, updated its policy to allow Miss Talackova to participate in its bikini, evening gown and other competitions
Runway: The transgender competitor made an impressive ranking as 12th out of 61 contestants
The Trump Organization said pageant rules had 'been modernized to ensure this type of issue does not occur again.'
The six-foot-one blond beauty strutted the runway and competed in the bikini and formal wear contests.
The winner advances to the international Miss Universe competition in December.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2147049/Transgender-Miss-Universe-Canada-contestant-loses-competition.html#ixzz1vZ0rvt9R
