A woman who always dreamed of being in beauty pageants is now making history as a title winner. Arielle Keil was recently crowned Miss Intercontinental New Zealand 2020 and she’s become the first transgender and Filipino woman to do it. The 26-year-old beauty queen was kicked out after telling her parents about her transition, but since then, she’s achieved success and things with her dad have improved.
Arielle started transitioning in 2017 and had gender reassignment surgery in 2020 and now she’s more confident and happier than ever. She says the relationship with her father has been a work in progress all of her life, but after leaving home and becoming fully independent, she’s earned his respect. “I feel like now I am just myself fully and with my dad now seeing me and treating me as his daughter, our parent/child relationship is so much healthier and makes sense,” she explains.
After her experience, Arielle reminds others who are struggling with being alone and not feeling supported that there are two types of family in your life: “The family you are born into by blood and the family you create for yourself later on,” she explains. “If you no longer have ties to your blood family, go out into your local queer safe spaces, make friends and build a family.” She says her chosen family has helped her out of extremely dark places and stuck by her no matter what. She also encourages others to “continue to be themselves unapologetically.”
Source: Bored Panda