Last week, nearly 30 transgender women participated in auditions for the first Miss Trans Israel pageant to be held in May. The winner of the Miss Trans Israel title will represent Israel in the Miss Trans Star International competition in Spain in August.
Israel is known for being far more tolerant of LGBT+ rights than its regional neighbors. Members of the gay community are allowed to serve in the military and are protected from employment discrimination by law, however LGBT+ couples are not allowed to marry.
There have been incidents of violence against the LGBT+ community, with a teenage girls being stabbed by an ultra-Orthodox Jew at last year’s gay pride parade in Jerusalem.
The trans competition took place in a club in Tel Aviv, a city known for being a gay-friendly travel destination.
News of the pageant spread on social media, with many expressing their support for the trans community in Israel
See some reactions below, via Twitter.
A #trans beauty contest is going down this week! So cool to see ppl celebrating #LGBT beauty. #MissTransIsrael https://t.co/KN7V16DSUg
— Love Wins Portraits (@LoveWinsPhotos) March 5, 2016
For the first time ever, Israel is holding a "Miss Trans Israel" pageant; causing many to celebrate and causing me to question my sexuality!
— Ottawa IAC (@OttawaIAC) March 4, 2016
Jaffa, Israel: Tel Aviv municipality to hold trans-women beauty pageant in May for the first time in the country. pic.twitter.com/w6tXVtkNqd
— Michael Shuval (@MichaelShuval) March 3, 2016
