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Who is Veejay Floresca? Viral pageant fan now wears Philippine sash as Miss Trans Star International bet

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Miguel Dumaual, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Fashion designer Veejay Floresca is representing the Philippines in the Miss Trans Star International pageant in Spain. Screenshot/ Instagram: @veejayfloresca" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/03/10/veejay-floresca.jpg"/><figcaption>Fashion designer Veejay Floresca is representing the Philippines in the Miss Trans Star International pageant in Spain. Screenshot/ Instagram: @veejayfloresca</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — Anxious one second and jubilant the next, four friends in a bedroom with a pink wall have become an enduring if not the definitive image of pageant-crazed Filipinos, thanks to the viral video which has immortalized their reactions to Venus Raj’s Miss Universe placement.Coincidentally, the Philippines has become a pageant powerhouse since that video was released in 2010, with a still-going streak of semifinals finish for the country’s representatives to Miss Universe and two crowns in a span of four years.Veejay Floresca, one of the four friends in the viral video, continued cheering on for each of the candidates that followed Raj, and in fact got to dress some of them in her own designs.“Twelve years later,” Floresca said, “I’m here in Spain, wearing the Philippine sash, competing for the crown.”Floresca is the country’s representative to the ongoing Miss Trans Star International pageant, which will hold its coronation night on March 12 in Santa Susanna, Catalonia.She will compete alongside 25 other transwomen in the annual competition, which also happens to be on its 12th year.“I want to speak to other people, especially to the young transwomen — actually, not only trans and gay, but male, female, cisgender — always believe in the power of dreams. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow, or after 15 years, or after 20 years,” Floresca said.“I started as a pageant fan and who would have thought that I can be a beauty queen myself? All dreams are valid. Don’t allow other people’s opinions to stop you from achieving your dreams. One day — look at me! — you’ll be surprised that you will have that opportunity to make your dream come true, and it’s really a great feeling,” she told ABS-CBN News.EMPOWERING TRANSWOMENFloresca credits her parents’ unconditional love and support for allowing herself to aim high for her dreams. Recalling she would play dress-up as Miss Universe as a little boy, Floresca said she was never discouraged from embracing her identity, and then transitioning in adulthood.“It’s important for parents to support their kids. Growing up as a gay kid, I am fortunate and lucky that my parents were supportive. They wanted me to be happy, they wanted me to achieve my dreams. It’s really empowering to remember that aspect of my childhood,” she said.Floresca was quick to acknowledge that other families may not be as progressive as hers, especially in mostly conservative Philippines, where advocating for queer rights remains an uphill battle.Now based in the US, Floresca admitted that the situation of the trans community in the Philippines was a factor in her decision to move.“Living in California versus living in the Philippines as a transwoman are two different environments. It’s not easy for transwomen to live a life where they feel that the people around them are not 100% supportive of them.“Trans rights are not a threat to women’s rights. We’re not asking for special rights, we’re asking for equal rights. I hope that one day my life will not be the same life as others where they need to choose to live in a safer place that in the Philippines,” she said.Floresca brought up the May elections, as she urged fellow Filipinos to vote for leaders who will advance queer rights in the country.Floresca intends to communicate the same to a wider audience, given the platform of Miss Trans Star International.GAME PLAN: AUTHENTICITY<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1958753" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>But aside from advocacy, equally important as a pageant hopeful is presence and personality, Floresca acknowledged.A pageant fanatic who has closely followed Filipino Miss Universe bets, Floresca has favorites in mind to emulate: Catriona Gray for “pasarela” and evening gown, Ariella Arida for swimsuit, and Pia Wurtzbach and Janine Tugonon for Q&amp;A.She, however, was quick to clarify that her “game plan” is to simply show the judges “who I am 100%.”“As a beauty queen, I think authenticity is one of the most important things. They need to crown you for who you are,” she said.In fact, Floresca isn’t necessarily eyeing the title; journeying with fellow transwomen bound by a common mission is enough, she explained.“I don’t see this as a competition at all. I see this as a retreat with other beautiful women with the same goal, the same advocacies. I’m not really competing; I’m just enjoying the best time. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I just want to have a great time,” Floresca said.NO LONGER JUST PLAYING DRESS-UPBe that as it may, Floresca is not one to be complacent. Months ahead of the pageant, she designed — and sewed — all her outfits for the competition.She’ll be in good company as her own muse, as Floresca has previously dressed the likes of Wurtzbach, Rabiya Mateo, Gazini Ganados, Venus Raj, and Katrina Dimaranan — and those are just her beauty-queen clients.Discussing her dresses, Floresca turned emotional in an apparent moment of realization: that what once was pretend dress-up as a boy dreaming to become a beauty queen, has now become a reality.“It’s going to be hard, but you need to be strong,” she said, when asked what she would say to boys who have similar aspirations. “If there are people who don’t like you, there are people who will appreciate you for who you are. Don’t think that you are weird. Think that you are special.”“You don’t need a crown to be called a beauty queen. A beauty queen is someone who embodies her true self and someone who will do everything to make her dreams come true. If I did it, you can do it, too,” Floresca said.

Anxious one second and jubilant the next, four friends in a bedroom with a pink wall have become an enduring if not the definitive image of pageant-crazed Filipinos, thanks to the viral video which has immortalized their reactions to Venus Raj’s Miss Universe placement.

Who is Veejay Floresca? Viral pageant fan now wears Philippine sash as Miss Trans Star International bet

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Who is Veejay Floresca? Viral pageant fan now wears Philippine sash as Miss Trans Star International bet

Miguel Dumaual,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 10, 2022 08:50 PM PHT

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Updated March 10, 2022 09:22 PM PHT

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Veejay Floresca

Miss Trans Star International

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