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Miss South Africa's first transgender contestant: 'I'm fighting for my community'

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Nqobile Dludla and Sisipho Skweyiya, Reuters

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Lehlogonolo Machaba, the first openly transgender woman to compete for the Miss South Africa title poses for a photograph outside the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa in this July 10, 2021 photo. Sumaya Hisham, Reuters" src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/reuters/08/04/trans.jpg"/><figcaption>Lehlogonolo Machaba, the first openly transgender woman to compete for the Miss South Africa title poses for a photograph outside the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa in this July 10, 2021 photo.<em> Sumaya Hisham, Reuters</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>JOHANNESBURG -- The first transgender contestant in South Africa&#x27;s national beauty pageant, 24-year-old Lehlogonolo Machaba, hopes she will inspire greater acceptance of the LGBTQI community.</p><p>Machaba, a fashion model, is competing for the Miss South Africa title, which opened to transgender contestants in 2019.</p><p>&quot;Being the first is a bit overwhelming and I&#x27;m also anxious that people do know now that I&#x27;m a trans woman,&quot; Machaba said.</p><p>South Africa is the only African country where same-sex marriage is legal and which enshrines LGBTQI rights in its constitution. People can change their identity in the national birth register.</p><p>However, violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and intersex people in South Africa has escalated, with more than 10 people killed in attacks this year, and social stigma and discrimination remain strong.</p><p>Machaba said she expected to be stigmatized for putting a spotlight on issues transgender people face, but that the killing of a close friend in a hate crime had given her strength to fight.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m here to fight for my community, not necessarily in a physical manner, but through words,&quot; she said.</p><p>&quot;It would mean a lot for me as a trans woman to win Miss South Africa but also I believe it would mean a lot for the queer community in South Africa. It would show that South Africa is breaking boundaries,&quot; she said. </p><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES:</strong></div><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=1632472" 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>

The first transgender contestant in South Africa hopes she will inspire greater acceptance of the LGBTQI community.

Miss South Africa's first transgender contestant: 'I'm fighting for my community'

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Miss South Africa's first transgender contestant: 'I'm fighting for my community'

Nqobile Dludla and Sisipho Skweyiya,

Reuters

Published August 04, 2021 12:14 PM PHT

Read More:

LGBT

Lehlogonolo Machaba

Miss South Africa

gender equality

beauty pageants

transgender

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