PAGEANT UPDATES: Miss Universe Canada 2012 is Sahar Biniaz!

Sahar Biniaz, Miss Universe Canada 2012

EXCLUSIVE - Indian-Canadian beauty Sahar Biniaz has been crowned Miss Universe Canada 2012 in a pageant held on May 19. She bested over 60 beautiful delegates, earning her the right to represent Canada at Miss Universe 2012 in December.

Sahar Biniaz takes her first walk as Miss Universe Canada 2012.

The 26-year-old beauty from Vancouver stands 1.73 m. tall. Biniaz,who was born in India and raised in Iran, was first runner-up in Miss Universe Canada 2008 and second runner-up in Miss Tourism Queen International in 2008. She was also named first runner-up in Miss Global Beauty Queen way back in 2003.

Sahar Biniaz being crowned by her predecessor, Chelsae Durocher.

As a polyglot, the new Miss Universe Canada speaks English, Farsi, and Conversational Spanish. She also graduated with honors from Stella Adler Academy in Los Angeles, in performing arts. Currently she is working as an actress in film and television.

Adwoah Yamoah to compete in Miss International 2012

First runner-up is Adwoa Yamoah, 24. The beauty stands 1.75 m. tall and will represent Canada at Miss International 2012. Yamoah is currently working for Corus Radio, one of Canada’s largest media companies in the Calgary office. She also teaches hip hop dance at Prestige Dance Academy in Calgary.

Twenty-six-year-old Madj Soudi named second runner-up. Completing the top five are Katie Starke and Kesiah Papasin.

Completing the Top 12 are Jenna Talackova, Ines Kipre, Chelsea Bird, Sarah Harrison, Suzette Hernandez, Maria Nahri, and Dajana Radovanovic. 

Casar Jacobson, Christine White, Diana Schoutsen, Kuyan Elliot, Lisa Wong, Mandi Gale, Marta Jablonska, and Vaughan Marr completed the top 20 quarter finals.

Jenna Talackova, the first transgendered candidate to compete in a all-female pageant was awarded Miss Congeniality together with Kylee Apers, Maria Julia Nahri and Maria Cecilia Nicolas. Miss Photogenic award went to Ela Mino while Revlon Professional Best Hair was awarded to Sahar Biniaz.

Miss Universe Canada was organized by Denis Davila, the owner of Beauties of Canada Organization.

ENTERTAINMENT PARADISE: Donald Trump now allows transgender candidates to compete for Miss Universe title!

Jenna Talackova shows her Canadian passport as a proof that she is a female during a news conference with her attorney Gloria Allred on April 3, 2012, in Los Angeles, California.

Montreal Gazzette - On ABC-TV’s 20/20 tonight (Friday), Donald Trump — interviewed by Barbara Walters — confirmed that Jenna Talackova can compete in the Miss Universe Canada pageant, and if she wins, can go on to compete in the Miss Universe world pageant, respresenting this country. Trump also confirmed that women who have transitioned can compete in Miss Universe pageants in the future.

Jenna Talackova during her teens. She was born as Walter Page Talackova.

ENTERTAINMENT PARADISE: Beauties of Canada organization allows transgender candidate to compete for Miss Universe Canada 2012!

Jenna Talackova

In behalf of Miss Universe Organization, Beauties of Canada Organization released a statement regarding the participation of a transgender candidate Jenna Talackova at Miss Universe Canada 2012 pageant.

NEW YORK, APRIL 2, 2012: “The Miss Universe Organization will allow Jenna Talackova to compete in the 2012 Miss Universe Canada pageant provided she meets the legal gender recognition requirements of Canada, and the standards established by other international competitions”.

The 61st annual Miss Universe Canada Pageant will be held at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts (Bluma Appel Theatre) in Toronto. Sixty-five delegates from across Canada will be in Toronto from May 11th to May 20th and will compete for the title of Miss Universe Canada 2012, awarded on Saturday, May 19th, 2012. The reigning Miss Universe Canada, Chelsae Durocher will assist in crowning her successor before a live audience.

This is the first time in history a transgender candidate was allowed to compete in an all-female pageant. If Jenna wins, she will make another history a transgender become a candidate of the prestigious Miss Universe pageant.

ENTERTAINMENT PARADISE: Transgender group slams Miss Universe Organization for turfing transgender contestant!

Jenna Talackova

TORONTO (Toronto Sun)- A local transgender woman ousted from the Miss Universe Canada beauty contest is seeking legal advice after pageant organizers disqualified her. 

According to the pageant’s website, Jenna Talackova, 23, “will not competein the 2012 Miss Universe Canada competition because she did not meet therequirements to compete despite having stated otherwise on her entry form.” 

In a statement to QMI Agency on Sunday, the Vancouverite seemed unfazed and said she hopes to turn the situation into a positive one. 

“What I can say is that I am very disappointed with the decision taken by the Miss Universe organizers," she wrote. "However, I will look to turn the situation into a positive so that other people in a similar situation are not discriminated against in the future. 

“I would like to do an interview, but as you can appreciate, I have to seek legal guidance first. Once I have done this, I will be in touch.” 

When Talackova was listed among the 65 finalists revealed March 12, transgender communities celebrated her selection. But after the pageant announced the disqualification Friday, fans expressed their outrage on the Miss Universe Canada Facebook page and called on the organization to reinstate Talackova. 

A prominent transgender advocacy group also slammed Miss Universe Canada after the pageant announced the disqualification Friday. 

Mara Keisling, the executive director of the Washington D.C.-based NationalCenter for Transgender Equality (NCTE), questioned the pageant organizer'smotives. "It's straightforward. They made a decision that they want to discriminate against transgender women," Keisling told QMI Agency. "More and more people understand this person is a woman. There's nothing about her that should disqualify her." 

Talackova had competed in pageants in the past and could be seen in online videos as a Canadian contestant at a Thailand transgender beauty pageant in 2010. 

Her photograph has since been removed from Miss Universe Canada's site, and the organization did not respond to QMI Agency's request an interview. 

According to requirements on the pageant’s website, “To qualify for the 2012 competition, you must be a Canadian Citizen and at least 18 years of age and under 27 years of age by February 1st, 2012.” 

Keisling said she hasn’t found any broken requirements and it seems as if the pageant made rules up “on the fly” to disqualify Talackova. “It makes you wonder what they’re afraid of,” she added.

The 61st annual Miss Universe Canada pageant will be held in Toronto on May 19.

ENTERTAINMENT PARADISE: Former Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza gives opinion about Transgender Issues at Miss Universe Organization!

CNN asks former Miss Universe 2008, Dayana Mendoza, regarding the transgender issues surrounded at Miss Universe Organization. The transgender issue sparked inside the Miss Universe Organization after the Canadian franchiser admits (then disqualifies) a transgender candidate named Jenna Talackova, 23-years-old.

In an interview, Dayana shows her neutrality regarding the issue, which earned some points from both Miss Universe Organization and the LGBT community.

Meanwhile, there are many petitions (including this petition from Change.Org) from the LGBT community from around the world calling the re-installment of Jenna Talackova as the candidate for Miss Universe Canada 2012 and accusing the Miss Universe Organization for violating Jenna's equality rights.

PAGEANT UPDATES: Beauties of Canada Organization accepts transsexual candidate to compete for Miss Universe Canada 2012!

Jenna Talackova

Beauties of Canada Organization, producers of Miss Universe Canada pageant who is responsible for sending Canadian representatives at Miss Universe pageant, has recently made headlines after the organization admitted a transsexual as one of the official candidates for Miss Universe Canada 2012 pageant.

Jenna Talackova, who confessed as a transsexual, is one of the front runners in the Miss Universe Canada 2012 competition. Her admission to the pageant for natural born females sparked moral and ethical issues from different conservative and liberal groups. Although many pageant fans praised Beauties of Canada Organization for implementing Canada's Equality Law, some were not convinced. They accused the organization of publicity stunt. Some questions were also raised like "How can a transsexual will represent Canada at any international pageants that only accepts natural born females as contestants?" This is still a big question up to now because the Miss Universe Organization only accepts natural born females as contestants.

Talackova was biologically a male, but Canada's Equality Law include the freedom of one self to legally convert his sex to another. As of Talackova, she was legally a woman according to the Canadian law. Majority of the critics also supported Talackova, quoting that equality and freedom should prevail. If Talackova will win as Miss Universe Canada 2012, this is the first time a transgender defeated her biologically female competitors in an all-female beauty pageant.

Jenna Talackova is not new to the beauty pageant scene. She previously represented her country at Miss International Queen pageant  - a pageant for transgender women - held in Thailand. 

UPDATE: But the Beauties of Canada Organization recently deleted Jenna Talackova's name at the roster of candidates. Is this a publicity stunt?