Free Republic

Miss Universe is breaking new ground at this year’s pageant with the first transgender contestant to ever compete for the crown, and those betting on the competition are declaring her a heavy favorite. Angela Ponce won her qualifying rounds in Spain and will represent her country at the 2018 Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok, Thailand. Ponce, who hails from Seville, was the first transgender woman to be crowned Miss Universe Spain and is competing to promote gender diversity and equality. As the competition nears, online bookies are taking action, and Ponce has grown to become the clear favorite with...

Whether or not Christine Hallquist wins election in November to be Vermont’s governor, her campaign has made history. Hallquist is the first openly transgender woman to run for governor in the United States – a remarkable change for a woman who just a few years ago, when she was still living as a man named Dave, was terrified of letting anyone know about her gender dysphoria. “I was sure when I transitioned, I'd end up sleeping in a gutter somewhere,” Hallquist told Politico. But the former CEO of the Vermont Electric Cooperative, rather, was greeted with overwhelming acceptance. So...

A transgender woman trying to find love has told how she is rejected by straight men for having 'male parts' and was even called an 'abomination' by her own father. Claire Green, 20, from Virginia, says she has no problem meeting men but they often disappear once they find out she used to be a boy. After transitioning over a year ago, she found the courage to go to the beach in a bikini for the first time on BBC Three documentary, Young, Trans And Looking For Love which airs on Monday.

Former President Bill Clinton acquainted himself with the former cheerleader ambassador for the Washington Redskins—known to most in the liberal community simply as the Washington Football Team. Kirby Parkhomenko served as cheerleader ambassador for the team through last season and also is a staffer at Ready for Hillary. Hillary Clinton has called the team name “insensitive” in the past, and has said that “there’s no reason for it to continue as the name of a team in our nation’s capital.”

US Ambassador to Switzerland Suzi LeVine is being accused of violating diplomatic etiquette by posting critical comments about Swiss ski resorts on her Facebook page. “I’m trying to understand the chaos in the lift lines at Swiss ski resorts,” LeVine wrote after spending New Year’s Day at the Adelboden ski resort in the Bernese Oberland. She said she and her family enjoyed a great day at the resort “but I was so puzzled by the scrum heading to the lift (and the inefficiency in terms of how many people were on each lift)”. LeVine, a former Microsoft employee and Democratic...

Sue Nami Crowned Miss Gay Maryland 2009 By Dimitria ! Published April 29, 2009 L to R: Tatiyanna Voche (Miss Gay Maryland 2008), Sue Nami (Miss Gay Maryland 2009), Chi Chi Ray Colby (First Alternate Miss Gay Maryland 2009). (Photo: Andy Liu) After three nights and nine contestants vying for the title, Tatiyanna Voche, Miss Gay Maryland 2008, crowned Baltimore’s own Sue Nami Miss Gay Maryland 2009 on Monday, April 20. Both Sue Nami and first alternate Chi Chi Ray Colby will advance to compete in Miss Gay America. Sue Nami sat down with Dimitria to talk about how it...

That ambiguous ending of Battlestar Galactica sure stirred up a lot of debate. (A debate that's still going on.) Whether you loved it or hated it, it sure got people talking. And one of the hottest topics was: What really happened to Starbuck?

On June 15, Richard Ramsey checked into Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township for major surgery. When he left three days later, Ramsey was no longer Richard, but Renee. Her first words to her doctor when she awakened after the operation were, "Now I'm the lady I always knew I was." Ramsey, a tall, lean woman, neatly turned out in black tailored pants and a lavender turtleneck sweater that used to be her wife's, is likely the oldest person in the United States to have surgery to change genders, experts say. She is 77. ... "I would have liked to...

MANCHESTER – A Boston-based federal judge wore a black cocktail dress, fish-net stockings and high heels when police arrested him for drunk driving after he rear-ended a pickup truck last week, sources said U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Somma, 63, struck a plea deal with the city Wednesday in which he pleaded no contest to a first-offense misdemeanor driving while intoxicated charge in Manchester District Court. In exchange, the judge agreed to pay $600 in fines and penalties and a 12-month license suspension, which can be reduced to six months if he proves he successfully completed a driver education and...

She follows a strict macrobiotic diet and an intense Pilates-based exercise regime in her quest to remain youthful. Pictured this week, the star, who has recently appeared gaunt and pale, revealed hands which seemed suited to a woman much older than her 49 years. EIMEAR O'HAGAN asked five experts for their verdicts. CHEEKS Cheek to cheek: Madonna's indented cheeks and gaunt appearance have been particularly noticeable in recent months Dr Alex Karidis is a plastic surgeon based at the St John and St Elizabeth Hospital, London. He says: Madonna has a chronically low percentage of body fat due to her...

Madonna shocks aeroplane passengers with mid-air vitamin jab 15.08.07 Madonna is reported to have started injecting herself with vitamins to boost her energy levels. The singer, who turns 49 on Thursday, is said to have surprised passengers on a recent flight from New York to London by injecting herself with a vitamin shot in her arm. Nutritionists said that such a drastic practice could have potentially harmful long-term effects on her health. The singer is said to have refused food on the seven-hour flight and only drank bottled water. A source told Closer magazine: "Seven hours was a long time...

"Madonna is reported to have started injecting herself with vitamins to boost her energy levels. The singer, who turns 49 on Thursday, is said to have surprised passengers on a recent flight from New York to London by injecting herself with a vitamin shot in her arm."

O.J. Simpson gets a hug from jockey Angel Cordero Jr. at the 133rd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Saturday, May 5, 2007.

NEW DELHI, India (AP) -An Indian runner who won a silver medal in the women's 800 meters at the Asian Games failed a gender test and was stripped of the medal. Shanti Sounderajan, 25, took the gender test in Doha, Qatar, after placing second. The Indian Olympic Association said Monday it has been told by the Olympic Council of Asia that the 25-year-old runner was disqualified. "IOA has asked the Athletic Federation of India to return the medal as desired by the Olympic Council of Asia,'' the Indian Olympic group said. The IOA also asked its medical commission to inquire...

Michael Richards exploded in anger as he performed at a famous L.A. comedy club last Friday, hurling racial epithets that left the crowd gasping, and TMZ has obtained exclusive video of the ugly incident.

A cross-dressing crook who appeared to resemble pop diva Whitney Houston robbed a Wachovia Bank in Atlanta Friday. Surveillance cameras captured several images of the bandit, who wore a tan trench coat, black boots, and sunglasses. The robber, who witnesses said was a man, entered the bank at 3019 Buford Highway about 11 a.m. through the lobby and approached the teller. He then produced a note that demanded money and specified that he had a weapon and would become violent if his demands were not met. The teller gave the robber a bag of money and he immediately left the...

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The world's first-ever transsexual beauty pageant made a splash in Las Vegas last weekend at the Riviera Hotel and Casino -- and ET was there! "They're going to get glamour, glitz and the classiest, most beautiful women in the world," pageant host JAHNA STEELE told our own JANN CARL before the event. "The hook, if you will, is that they are all transsexual." The 35 contestants of "The World's Most Beautiful Transsexual Contest" had to show proof of their original gender to qualify. The winner ultimately received $5,000 and a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands! "People will see beautiful...

The one on the right needs to cover up some more. Look at the signs, they are all identical. Doesn't look like they even want to protest.