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- Miss Myanmar 2019 is Miss Universe’s first-ever openly gay contestant.
- Myanmar is a country where homosexuality is criminalized.
- She dcame out to the public in an interview by a well-known pageant forum.
The 2019 Miss Myanmar is Miss Universe’s first openly gay contestant. Not only did she make history with her decision to join the pageant, but her courage is also commendable as her home country is a place where homosexuality is treated as a crime.
Swe Zin Htet, twenty-two years old, competed in Miss Universe 2019 as Myanmar’s representative on Sunday night, December 8 (US Time), in Atlanta, Georgia.
She failed to enter the Top 20, but fans and the members of the LGBTQ+ community have applauded her for representing them on such a big stage.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B50req5AHMU/
She reportedly came out as gay in one interview by pageant forum Missosology. The interview was said to have happened shortly after she landed in Atlanta.
Htet was asked why she supports the cause of the LGBTQ+ community and there she stated that she’s a lesbian.
“I came to a full realization about my sexual orientation over a long period of time. I knew I was ‘one of them’ way back in 2015. It is personally quite challenging but I feel that I have a greater voice and the best position to promote this cause. Some pageant fans know about it and they still support me but this is the first time I am able to talk about it in public,” she said.
A day after the interview, she posted a photo on her Instagram account which was overlaid with a rainbow flag.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5dbKqxFL63/
