Though Miss Universe Canada organizers concede that Jenna Talackova is a “real girl”, she won’t be competing in this year’s Miss Universe Canada pageant because Talackova, a Vancouver native, was born a male. Denis Davila, national director of Miss Universe Canada, says rules set by the Miss Universe franchise, state that each contestant must be a “naturally born female”.
Davila said Talackova claimed on her registration form she was born a female. He suspected otherwise, and when he asked her about it, she admitted that she wasn’t, and was pulled from the contest the same day. Davila said, “She was hoping we could put her back in the competition, but the rules are very clear and there’s no way we can go back on it.”
Jenna says she knew that she was a female at the age of four, and began hormone therapy at the age of fourteen. She surgically changed her gender a few years ago, when she was 19. Denis insists that there’s no bad blood between Jenna and Miss Universe Canada. Davila also added, “Just because she can’t compete, doesn’t mean we’ve stopped loving her.”
