A Filipino-German transgender woman who was disowned by her family has officially been named Miss Intercontinental New Zealand 2020.
Per The Metro, Arielle Kiel, a 26-year-old model who hails from Auckland, was born in Davao City in the Philippines and assigned as male at birth. But throughout her life, Arielle struggled with intense feelings of gender dysphoria.
Related - This transgender man recently documented his pregnancy journey:Arielle, who is also studying creative advertising in her fashion design bachelor’s degree, began the process of transitioning back in 2017. However, her family was prejudiced towards her, especially her father, with whom she had always had a strained relationship.
Arielle's family initially disowned her and kicked her out of their home when they found out that she was transgender.
But after going through gender reassignment surgery earlier this year, she's managed to find fame and acclaim as the winner of the Miss Intercontinental New Zealand beauty pageant.
In a recent interview with BoredPanda Arielle revealed that coming out as a trans woman was far scarier for her than when she'd previously come out as a gay man.
However, despite her family's initially negative reaction, Arielle was determined to live as a woman regardless.
She now claims that winning the pageant has earned her a measure of her father's respect, as her family can see that she is fully committed to living as a woman.
Take a look at this interview with Arielle in the video below:Speaking with BoredPanda, Arielle stated: "At first, he struggled to connect with me because we’re so different and there isn’t much of a common ground which is vastly different to most father/son relationships.
"Since transitioning, it’s been slightly different. Finding my feet as an adult after getting kicked out of home and becoming fully independent has earned the respect of my father."
She added:
"I showed him that this isn’t a phase and that I am serious about my transition and this dream of being a titleholder in the world of pageantry. I feel like now I am just myself fully and with my dad now seeing me and treating me as his daughter our parent/child relationship is so much healthier."
Meanwhile, in a separate interview with The Metro, Arielle stated: "The pageant was an amazing experience! It’s something I’ve wanted to do for the longest time so to actually live out my dream has been amazing!"
If you want to hear more about Arielle in the future, then why not follow her on Facebook or on her official Instagram account for further updates?
