Lehlogonolo Machaba, a 24-year-old model, just became the first ever openly trans woman to enter the Miss South Africa beauty pageant. “Everything I do as a dark-skinned, transgender woman is a statement,” the model told the Times Live. “My mere existence in society is threatening, and there’s a lot of closet transgender women who are afraid to come out in fear of receiving hate and even worse, being killed. By doing this I am helping all those women to know that there’s still hope and the world is changing for good, slowly but surely.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lehlogonolo Machaba (@lehlogonolo.machaba) Machaba's achievement became official on Tuesday when she was announced as one of the 30 contestants who will compete in the pageant. Organizers said “the most important criteria when selecting the top 30 was that the entrants were authentic and true to themselves.” The South African model clearly fits the criteria as she proudly represents the LGBTQIA+...
