Gloria Diaz reiterates Miss Universe should only be for biological women

Gloria Diaz during her “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda” interview on Tuesday, Feb. 27. Images: Instagram/@fasttalkgma, Facebook/Miss Universe

Amid the issues hounding the Miss Universe Organization, Gloria Diaz remained firm in her stance that the pageant must only cater to biological women.

Diaz reiterated her position against the so-called “social inclusivity” being pushed by MUO under its owner, Thai mogul Anne Jakrajutatip, by allowing transwomen, married women, single mothers, women of advanced age to join the pageant.

During a “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda” interview on Tuesday, Feb. 27, Diaz said transwomen and other members of the LGBTQIA+ community should create their own pageant instead of being “politically correct.”

“In ordinary words, basically, kailangan transvestite, kailangan may Miss Transvestite Universe. Tomboy: Miss Tomboy Universe. Bakla, transgender, whatever, lahat ng politically correct, kanya-kanya,” she said when asked by talk show host Boy Abunda to expound on her controversial stance.

(In ordinary words, it should be transvestite, there should be Miss Transvestite Universe. Tomboy: Miss Tomboy Universe. Gay, transgender, whatever, anything that is politically correct should have their own.)

Diaz, who was the Philippines’ first Miss Universe in 1969, made headlines in May 2023 after saying that transwomen, married women, and single mothers should have separate pageants instead.

Responding to Abunda’s questioning, the former beauty queen, however, noted that the MUO lifting its rules might’ve something to do with how times are changing.

“Sa Miss Universe, dapat Miss Universe. Pero iba na talaga ngayon,” she said. “Kasi ngayon, jo-join ka isang beses, medyo natalo ka, makikita mo ang ilong mo, medyo pango, sige, gawin mong maayos. Maliit ang boobs, taasan mo boobs.”

(If you’re joining Miss Universe, it should be Miss Universe. But times are different now. Because now, if you join the first time and then lose, you will find yourself changing your nose like making it pointier. If you have small boobs, you will make it bigger.)

Diaz’s daughter Isabelle Daza, who was also a guest in Abunda’s show, also agreed that the Miss Universe pageant should only be for real women. She, however, clarified that she’s “all for inclusivity and equality.”

“This is a very controversial topic. This is probably an unpopular opinion but I agree with what my mom said,” she said. “If it’s Miss Universe and if you’re including everybody, it should just be [referred to] as the Universe, right? I guess there was some sort of barrier but of course, inclusivity and equality, I’m all for that.”

Daza also cited media personality Caitlyn Jenner — who came out as a transwoman in April 2015 — where she pointed out that having “transgenders” in other categories is “not fair.”

“I like what Caitlyn Jenner said before, people mistake fighting for equality and fighting for fairness to be the same thing. If you have transgenders in sports, it’s not fair,” she said.

Currently, MUO co-owner Anne Jakrajutatip is under fire after a leaked video showed her declaring that promoting inclusivity in the global tilt was only meant to be a “communication strategy.” She, however, claimed that the video was “manipulated” to be out of context to mar her reputation.