Dayana Saucedo, from Bolivia underwent a sex change operation She made it back into the running as Miss Canada after being booted out for being born a boy. And now other aspiring beauty queens are coming forward after Jenna Talackova successfully managed to overturn pageant rules, which prevented transsexuals from competing.
Announcing her dreams of becoming a pageant queen Miss Saucedo told a local newspaper El Deber.: \'Of course I want to compete, I would love to become Miss Santa Cruz, Miss Bolivia and go to Miss Universe.\'
\'I have the same rights as other women to represent my country.\'
After Miss Talackova\'s story was publicised, pageant officials from Miss Universe announced a new policy was in the pipeline, and if permitted it would allow all women, including transgender women, without any disparity, to compete in future competitions.
It is expected the final word will come soon once approved by Donald Trump and NBC which co-own the contest.
Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization said: \'We want to give credit where credit is due, and the decision to include transgender women in our beauty competitions is a result of our ongoing discussions with GLAAD.\'
Transgendered Miss Universe Canada finalist, Jenna Talackova, of Vancouver, was disqualified from the competition before being re-instated this week
Jenna Talackova was disqualified from the competition before pageant officials went back on the decision
Miss Saucedo has already appealed to the organisers of Miss Bolivia, Promociones Gloria, asking them to \'open their mind, to accept us because we are a reality and we exist\'.
If accepted, she would become the first transsexual in her country\'s history to compete in a national beauty contest.
Her sex change operation took place in Chile and she is currently in the process of changing her legal gender from male to female. She also plans to marry a man in the future and adopt children.
Advocates said the recent changes that would allow transgender women to participate in the Miss Universe beauty pageant is a step forward for equality.
The Miss Universe pageant began in 1952 as a local \'bathing beauty\' contest, headed by California-based Catalina Swimwear and trials for next year\'s pageant begin this summer.
Miss Talackova\'s sex change initially led organizers in Canada to disqualify her from the 61st Miss Universe Canada pageant in May, citing a rule that she must be \'naturally born\' a woman.
She pleaded with the pageant\'s leaders to drop the rule.
\'I am a woman,\' Miss Talackova said. \'I was devastated, and I felt that excluding me for the reason that they gave was unjust. I have never asked for any special consideration. I only wanted to compete.\'
Contest officials worked closely with GLAAD (The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) to change the policy, and the advocacy group on praised the decision and the work by Talackova to remain a contestant.
Meanwhile Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality said: \'Everybody should be allowed to participate in every aspect of society.
\'Absolutely it\'s good news, it\'s another pernicious structural discrimination barrier taken down.\'