For the first time, a transgender woman has been crowned Miss Netherlands, paving the way for a historic run at Miss Universe.
Rikkie Valerie Kolle, 22, clasped her hands over her mouth in surprise when she was announced the winner on Sunday to the music of Sia’s “Unstoppable.”
“I DID IT !!!!! 
,” Kolle wrote on Instagram of her “educational and beautiful journey.”
“I’m so proud and happy I can’t even describe it. Making my community proud and showing it can be done,” the newly crowned beauty queen wrote.
Kolle, dressed in a red gown with her hair up in a bun, had nervously clasped hands with the runner-up during a lengthy wait before announcing the winner.
Kolle then covered her face in disbelief after being named Miss Netherlands, receiving a hug from the runner-up before receiving the Miss Universe sash from Texan R’Bonney Gabriel.
Some of the other finalists standing at the back of the stage looked at each other, with some appearing to grimace awkwardly at the unprecedented decision.
The Miss Netherlands official Instagram page also celebrated the win by the “beautiful” trans contestant.
“This finalist shined throughout the show and has also made the greatest progress along the way,” the pageant wrote of the judges’ decision.
“She has an iron-strong story with a clear mission. The jury is convinced that the organization will enjoy working with this young woman.”
The win means Kolle will compete in Miss Universe, which is now owned by Anne Jakrajutatipa, a transgender Thai woman.
“Let’s get @missuniverse ready. So excited!!!” Kolle said in her celebratory social media post — one flooded with messages of outrage that she took the spot ahead of a biological woman.
Kolle, on the other hand, will not be the first trans woman to compete in Miss Universe – that title went to then-Miss Spain Angela Ponce in 2018, who did not make the top 20.
The pageant originally permitted trans competitors in 2012, while it was still controlled by now-former President Donald Trump, who rehabilitated a Canadian competitor who had been ousted because she was not a “naturally born female.”Trump has yet to speak to the Miss Netherlands contestant.
He has, however, entered into another contentious issue in LGTBQ+ rights, posting on his Truth Social Sunday: “I WILL NOT LET MEN PARTICIPATE IN WOMEN’S SPORTS!”
