Daniela Arroyo González Will Be First Out Transgender Woman to Compete in Miss Universe Puerto Rico

"It's time to show how far we can go," Daniela Arroyo González said in an Instagram video celebrating her accomplishment

By Abigail Adams Published on February 27, 2023 05:12 PM

https://www.instagram.com/p/CoseGxTv1nl/. Daniela Arroyo González/Instagram

An openly transgender woman has been chosen to compete in the Puerto Rico Miss Universe contest for the first time.

Daniela Arroyo González was selected Thursday to compete for the Miss Universe Puerto Rico title, according to the Associated Press and New York Daily News.

It was her second attempt at qualifying, per the AP. The winner will go on to represent Puerto Rico in the global Miss Universe pageant, per the Daily News.

Arroyo celebrated her landmark selection in a video shared to her Instagram page on Monday, which she captioned, in part, "Let's make history together!"

"The emotion and pride that I feel in this moment overwhelms me with joy," Arroyo said in the video, adding that she is "deeply grateful" for the support she has received.

Now, Arroyo is looking forward to sharing her "journey to the Crown" with her supporters. "It's time to show how far we can go," she said at the end of the clip. "This is my time."

Arroyo is the co-founder of the Puerto Rico Trans Youth Coalition, a support and networking group, according to the AP.

Previously, Arroyo participated in a federal lawsuit against Puerto Rico's government, which argued that people should be permitted to change the gender printed on their birth certificates, the news agency reported.

Arroyo also works in public relations and aims to create positive change through communications, according to Miss Puerto Rico Universe officials.

"She wishes to live in a less polarized society, where differences can be appreciated and embraced as something positive that unites, instead of something that separates," the organizers wrote in a statement, according to New York Daily News.

Transgender contestants have been allowed to compete for Miss Universe since 2012, according to the outlet, which reported that Miss Spain Ángela Maria Ponce Camacho was the first openly transgender contestant to compete in the global pageant in 2018.

In Oct. 2022, Thai businesswoman and transgender rights advocate Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip purchased the Miss Universe Organization for $20 million.

https://people.com/human-interest/daniela-arroyo-gonzalez-will-be-first-transgender-woman-compete-miss-universe-puerto-rico/