No Miss Universe title for Dutch trans woman Rikkie Kollé

Rikkie Kollé from the Netherlands did not win a prize at the Miss Universe pageant in El Salvador on Saturday evening. The title went to Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios.

Kollé was the first trans woman to be elected Miss Netherlands in July. The 22-year-old from Amsterdam was previously known from the TV show Holland's Next Top Model, in which she took part in 2018.

Kollé's adventure in San Salvador ended rather quickly on Saturday. Shortly after the almost 90 contestants had emerged, the names of the 20 countries that would go through to the second round were announced. Unfortunately, the Netherlands was not among them.

This year's Miss Universe had diverse candidates. According to RTL Nieuws, the top 20 included Marina Machete, who was the first trans woman to be elected Miss Portugal, and Jane Dipika Garrett, who was the first plus-size contestant to take part in the Miss Universe competition.

Earlier this year, Kollé told RTL Nieuws that her participation in the beauty pageant was not about winning, but rather about creating a platform for other members of the LGBTQ+ community: "Whether I win or not, it was a very nice experience. And I want to continue my dream after this election and create a platform for other queer people who have questions about their identity, for example," she said.