The 67th Miss Universe Pageant aired on Fox News with 94 contestants on December 16, 2018. The winner, Miss Universe 2018, was Catriona Gray from the Philippines, the fourth Filipino to ever win the pageant. Tamaryn Green, from South Africa, took the second place title, and Sthefany Gutiérrez, from Venezuela, was third place. In addition to the normal excitement surrounding the pageant, this year’s contest also included a “first” for the franchise. Miss Spain, Angela Ponce, was the first transgender contestant in the Miss Universe Pageant and delivered a message to the public.

“My hope is for tomorrow, to be able to live in a world of equality for everyone. Simply for us all to understand that we are human and that we must make all our lives easier together,” said Ponce.

Ponce emphasized the importance of acceptance in all corners of the globe, as she walked down the runway and received a standing ovation from the crowd.

The Miss Universe Instagram account captioned a video of Angela Ponce,

“A walk to remember. A historic night for #MissUniverse.”

Ponce beat twenty-two contestants to earn the title of Miss Spain. However, in 2015 she competed in the Miss World pageant and stated that the rules altered the competition so that transgender contestants did not have a chance of winning. As of this year, the rules have changed now giving the chance for not only transgender people like Ponce, but more for future years.

In an interview, Ponce emotionally stated, “I don’t need to win Miss Universe. I just need to be here. I’m here to eradicate the intolerance and to raise equality for everyone, even if I don’t win the title.”

Ponce helps children coping with the shame of being transgender, she is an advocate for gender equality, and acceptance. Ponce’s goal is to eradicate intolerance and hope’s that the reality for many struggling with identity will change.