A Malaysian transgender has been crowned as Miss Transsexual Australia 2017 at the annual pageant held in Melbourne on Saturday night.
Laeticia Phylliscia Raveena, the winner also recieved a gift voucher worth US$15,000 (RM66, 450) from Bangkok's Kamol Cosmetic Hospital at the ceremony. Raveena is a pastry chef with a diploma from the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu culinary school.
"Congratulations to our very own Malaysian Transsexual rep Laeticia Phylliscia Raveena for your victory as Miss Transsexuals Australia. You deserved to be the queen," Malaysian transgender activist, Nisha Ayub wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday.
"Beside her is the winner for Miss Gay Australia. I'm happy that they divided the pageant to Miss Gay and Miss Transsexuals that shows the organiser is aware of the difference and diversity of gender identity, sexuality and expression within the umbrella term of Transgender. Congrats again to you dear Laeticia .You made the community proud," she wrote.
Transsexual Australia was founded in 2009 and it is the biggest beauty pageant in Australia. The annual pageant is meant for female impersonators, transsexual and drag queen performers and transgender women.
