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.”
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+ community.
"Through the Miss South Africa platform, I'd be able to advocate for the LGBTQIA community and, more specifically, queer-identifying women," she told News24. "I would use this opportunity to empower every marginalized person and become a beacon of hope for young girls out there regardless of whatever they think hinders them from attaining whatever goal they have. With patience, perseverance and hard work, they can attain anything they put their minds to."
The young trailblazer is particularly vocal about the ongoing violence against the LGBTQ+ community.
“The daily murder of queer and trans-identifying people in our country is devastating,” she said.
Anele Bhengu and Lulama Mvandaba, two members of the LGBTQ+ community, were killed in South Africa last month, PinkNews reported.
“This is a crisis, and it is worse than we thought, it is a war on queerness,” said Kamva Gwana, an organizer from Queer Lives Matter.
A similar epidemic is being seen in many other parts of the world, including the U.S. According to the Human Rights Campaign, at least 29 transgender or gender non-conforming people have been fatally shot or killed in the nation so far this year.
Transgender people also continue to face discrimination as they strive to pursue their dreams.
"I lost an opportunity to travel to Milan for the Gucci fashion show because of my gender marker and not having the necessary documents to change it," Machaba said.
But the model used the setback as a learning opportunity.
"Through that, I've learned that failure is just a redirection of something bigger and better and used it as an opportunity to speak out about my identity on social media, which has inspired a lot of people and has educated them on the necessary steps one should take when transitioning," she said.
The South African native, who holds a diploma in fashion design technology, is the founder of DeMollies fashion brand. She also spends part of her time as a model booker at Invade Models. In addition, the advocate volunteers at a local LGBT+ center, helping young people with university applications and job applications.
