Transgender Woman Who Was Disowned By Her Family Becomes Miss Intercontinental New Zealand 2020

Arielle Keil has made history in the land of the Kiwis—this year, she became the first transgender and Filipino woman to be crowned Miss Intercontinental New Zealand and was over the moon with happiness. She began transitioning in 2017, but her family initially disowned her and kicked her out of their home when they found out. Despite the lack of support from her own family, she has flourished, and her relationship with her dad has improved since then.

Arielle underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2020 and now, at the age of 26, she’s more joyous, more confident than ever, having had her beauty recognized by so many people. She will represent New Zealand in the Miss Intercontinental pageant.

"When I heard I was crowned Miss Intercontinental NZ, it was a surreal feeling! It didn’t feel real then and even to this day it doesn’t feel real sometimes!" Arielle shared just how happy she is with Bored Panda. "This is a thought I have several times a day whilst looking in the mirror whilst clothed in an oversized hoodie and a scrunchie to keep my mane of hair in a messy bun, “Little old Ari is a beauty queen. Me. From the middle of nowhere. That’s so strange.' It’s hard to wrap my head around as it hasn’t really changed the way I see myself which is just a regular girl."

Read on for our full interview with Arielle where she opens up about her relationship with her family and her advice for members of the LGBTQ community.

More info: Instagram | Facebook

Arielle revealed that her relationship with her father is something that has been a work in progress throughout her entire life, not just during her transition.

"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 explained.

"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 and makes sense."

Arielle said that she'd like to remind any member of her community who is struggling with being scared and alone that there are two types of family in life: "The family you are born into by blood and the family you create for yourself later on. If you no longer have ties to your blood family, go out into your local queer safe spaces, make friends, and build a family."

She pointed out that to her, as a queer person, her chosen family, which consists of all kinds of people, is just as important to her as her blood family. "Like so many other queer people, my chosen family has pulled me through extremely dark places and put a roof over my head when I had nowhere to stay. Find your tribe, stick with them, love, and cherish them and no matter what happens you will never feel alone."

Arielle was born as a boy named Andrew in Davao City, in the Philippines, but grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. She wasn’t just the first post-op trans person to win the Miss Intercontinental New Zealand title, she was also the first post-op trans woman to compete in the Miss New Zealand beauty pageant.

“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!” the winner told Metro.

The contestant revealed that coming out as a transgender woman was far more terrifying for her personally than coming out as a gay man. According to her, coming out forever changes your entire life and how your friends, family, and acquaintances see you.

However, she didn’t want to have any regrets and “waste” her twenties in the “wrong body,” so she opted for coming out. When her family gave her an ultimatum (stop or leave home), she packed everything she owned in a trash bag and walked out, unsure of what would happen next.

Fortunately, things have since improved. Now, Arielle’s father fully accepts her as his daughter and is proud of her. A father’s love, a shining crown, and a degree in fashion design under her belt? Sounds like Arielle just won 2020.

“To any queer person wanting to do beauty pageants, I would tell them to continue to be themselves unapologetically,” she told GMA News Online.