Biological male who identifies as transgender wins Miss Silver State beauty pageant for women

Kataluna Enriquez, who had previously entered other women's beauty pageants and has won pageants for transgender contestants, called this win a "celebration of womanhood."

"Miss Silver State was a great experience… to me it was honestly a celebration of womanhood and diversity and this celebration of being your true self," Enriquez said.

Enriquez reported that in pageants outside of Nevada, Enriquez had been required to have a doctor certify that Enriquez was biologically female once pageant organizers learned she was a gender-nonconforming male who identifies as transgender. Enriquez said that unlike the other contestants, she was not provided with a roommate.

"I was asked to provide documents that were invasive in my opinion physically asking me to get a letter from my doctor, it brought me back to time where I felt like I was not welcome," said Enriquez regarding the pageants' requirements.

The Miss Silver State pageant is the largest preliminary pageant for the Miss Nevada USA pageant, where Enriquez intends to next compete.

"I have a great feeling about Nevada … I am looking forward to it," Enriquez said.

Winning Miss Nevada would put Enriquez in the running for Miss USA. However, the Miss USA pageant recently won the right to refuse entry to gender-nonconforming males who identify as transgender into the women's beauty contest.

Anita Noelle Green had brought the lawsuit against the pageant, alleging that her biological male sex should not bar her from competing in the women's pageant.

Green said "I want to participate in pageants for the same reason every woman wants to—to gain a sense of confidence and poise, and to feel beautiful and glamorous."

The producers of the pageant allegedly told Green that the women's beauty contest was only intended for "natural-born women."