Transgender woman Sofia Salomon challenges norms, applies to compete in Miss Venezuela pageant

Influencer and Instagram model Sofia Salomon recently applied to compete for the coveted title of Miss Venezuela, the South American nation which is said to have an unparalleled enthusiasm for beauty pageants as well as little to no tolerance for challenges to its largely heteronormative standards. If accepted, Solomon would be the first transgender woman to participate in the competition which would determine who would represent Venezuela at the international stage.

What has Salomon said about the challenge?

“I think it is a great platform to bring visibility to my community, echo the positive things, and show people the reality of transgender women,” said Salomon, as quoted by the Associated Press. Venezuela is also set to hold its Pride march in the capital, Caracas, on Sunday, with hundreds of people expected to join.

Notably, Salomon was in the top six of Miss International Queen, the world’s largest beauty pageant for transgender women. “I would like that law changed so transgender women could be accepted with the name they feel safer,” said the Venezuelan influencer at the time, addressing a lawsuit.

While her entry is yet to be confirmed by the Miss Venezuela organisation, Salomon believes she has an advantage over other contestants. “I am of the opinion that experience is not improvised,” said Salomon. She added, “That is why people trust that I will make history in the country.”

She also spoke about the overwhelming support she has received from her parents, siblings and boyfriend, as well as comments and emojis on her Instagram posts about her decision to apply for Miss Venezuela.

Venezuela’s LGBTQ+ community

The nearly decade-long lawsuit in question, which Salomon spoke about, was a case involving Tamara Adrian, a transgender woman who wanted to legally change her name and sex on her birth certificate and in public records, which the government said the law already allows.

However, Adrian and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights argued that was not the case and despite over 30 briefs filed and repeated request hearings, her case was overlooked. She went on to become the first trans lawmaker in the South American country, in 2015, representing a district in Caracas.

Earlier this year, Venezuela’s top court revoked a law which punishes consensual same-sex conduct by military personnel. However, the decision to give same-sex couples the right to marry has been held off in the courts for some seven years now.

According to the activist-run Venezuelan Observatory on LGBTIQ+ Violence, an initiative backed by Amnesty International Venezuela, there were nearly 100 cases of violence against members of the community across the country last year, including 11 homicides.

However, the number is said to be higher since many cases are not reported. LGBTQ+ people in Venezuela “suffer numerous forms of discrimination and violence, from the family sphere to public spaces,” said Yendri Velasquez, co-founder of the activist-run initiative. He also noted that in 2021 there were 21 murders of people “just for being gay or lesbian.”

WATCH WION LIVE HERE