Rikkie Valerie Kollé made history Saturday when she was named Miss Netherlands 2023 as the first transgender woman to be crowned in Dutch history. Rikkie Valerie Kollé was selected as Miss Netherlands and will represent her country at the 72nd Miss Universe pageant set to take place in El Salvador later this year. The beauty pageant winner is from Breda and aspires to become a voice and role model for the queer community. Kollé, said that when she was younger and came out as transgender, it wasn’t easy. “I struggled and it was a very rough time. Today, I am stronger than ever before.” Kollé has another chance to make history, if she takes the Miss Universe title in December, she would be the first trans woman to do so. The Miss Universe competition, which is newly owned by a transgender woman, has allowed transgender participation since 2012. Kollé will be the second transgender representative at the Miss Universe pageant after Spain’s Angela Ponce who participated in 2018.
