Pinoy in trending Miss U 2010 reaction video to compete in international beauty pageant as a transwoman
Remember the Pinoy barkada who drew laughs with their reaction video to Venus Raj making it to the Top 15 of Miss Universe 2010? One of them is representing the Philippines in the international pageant scene as a transgender woman.
Veejay Floresca recently flew to Spain to vie for the Miss Trans Star International crown this year. On Instagram, she shared a photo of herself carrying the Philippine flag and wearing the PH sash with pride. “Believe in the power of dreams!” she captioned the post.
In a separate post, she turned emotional as she talked about one of her biggest dreams and ambitions. “Playing ‘Miss Universe’ was my favorite game when I was a kid. I’ve always wanted to wear the PHILIPPINES sash across my heart,” she opened up, adding that she questioned the possibilities as she grew up “as a trans kid.”
“Today, *crying* I made that happen. I want everyone to understand that DREAMS DO COME TRUE,” she continued.
“Never ever give up on your dreams. You’ll be surprised one day, you can make that dream a reality.”
Her decision to finally join the pageant came with the desire to “take the responsibility to be the next spokesperson of the organization and to promote equality, love, respect, and most importantly, to help eradicate transphobia in the community.”
“In my country, the Philippines, discrimination is everywhere, and I want to take this platform as an important tool to communicate with my fellow Filipinos to stop discriminating each other,” she pointed out in her introduction video.
In 2015, she made the rounds online as she shared her experience at a Taguig club where she was refused entry twice due to its “no-cross-dressers” policy. Floresca said that one of its owners later on apologized via a phone call.
For her, transphobia is one of the most pressing concerns of society. “Misinformed people tend to judge or discriminate so easily,” she mused.
“I hope that one day, we’re not even supposed to talk about this anymore because everything is normal. And most importantly, I want the next generation to live in a place without fear, but just appreciation of who we are and appreciation of our uniqueness. That is my hope,” she concluded.
Floresca is a fashion designer who founded clothing brands Madore Bridal and Veejay Floresca. Her creations have been sported by various beauty queens, including Miss Universe Philippines 2019 Gazini Ganados and Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo.
She is set to wear her own creation at the national costume competition on March 11.
The grand coronation night is slated for March 12 in Santa Susanna, Spain. Best of luck, Veejay!
