Miss Universe has a new owner, one who is striving to make it more inclusive and empowering

I knew from the age of five I was born in the wrong body. I grew up as a boy named Andrew in a conservative family in Thailand. I was a shy kid, spending nearly all my waking hours at my parents’ video store in Bangkok, teaching myself English and dreaming of visiting the countries I saw in films. At school, I was bullied for being different and was sexually assaulted by a male teacher. My family was adamant that I suppress any hint of femininity. They made it clear they wouldn’t accept me if I was queer. I was afraid to be myself.

Still, womanhood meant so much to me. When I watched the Miss Universe competitions with my sister and mother, the delegates represented everything I wanted to be: a strong, powerful woman. I decided I’d become hugely successful to show everyone they were wrong about me. Fast-forward to my twenties: I earned my first million Baht (about ₹23 lakh) by taking what I learned in my parents’ store to create a media content company. In my thirties, I took my company, JKN Global Group, public on the Thai stock exchange—and became a Thai billionaire (1bn baht is about ₹2.7 crore). People saw me as successful, but I hadn’t achieved personal fulfilment.

When I turned 35, I finally put myself first. I began my transition to becoming a woman. The process took several years, multiple gender-reassignment surgeries and endless hormone therapies. It was a long journey, but I felt I was living my truth for the first time in my life. My mother didn’t speak to me for three years (she’s since come around and we’re closer than ever), but it was worth it. I can’t describe how incredible it is to see the real you when you look in the mirror after decades of seeing a stranger. When I became Anne, I thought I was finally whole. But, as it turns out, there was still one thing missing.

In 2018, the Miss Universe competition came to Thailand and I sat in the front row, watching Miss Spain, Ángela Maria Ponce Camacho, make history as the first trans woman to compete. She wept when it was over, telling the crowd she didn’t need to win—she just wanted the world to know a trans woman could make it. I wept, too. I knew then I wanted to dedicate my life to doing more for the LGBTQ+ community and for women everywhere.

That’s how I ended up in talks with IMG, the company that owned Miss Universe. I asked if they’d be interested in a new owner: me. I told them that not only did I know how to reach a global audience, but I could also take the competition to new heights. I mean, why was an organisation that claimed to be all about female empowerment owned by men? I wanted to create something run by women for women—not something for men to ogle over. In October 2022, my company paid £15.7m (₹1.58 crore) and I signed the papers that made me the first female owner of Miss Universe. 

The first Miss Universe pageant under my control will be the 72nd competition, taking place later this year in El Salvador. And you’re going to see a lot of changes. For starters, we’ve opened the competition to all women between the ages of 18 and 28, including those who were previously excluded, such as women with children and those who are pregnant, married or divorced. We’re widening our background checks on every person associated with the organisation (there will no longer be male leaders eyeing the delegates in the dressing room) and in addition to our all-female leadership team, our hosts and most of the judges will also be women. The latter are CEOs, scientists, politicians—you name it.

We’re also allocating more time in the broadcast for the audience to hear about the delegates as people, instead of just focusing on their looks. My Miss Universe recognises that beauty is both external and internal. (The swimsuit round still exists, but there will no longer be eliminations in that stage. And contestants can now choose their own bathing-suit styles rather than being forced to wear bikinis.) We’re taking small steps away from the male gaze and every day I’m learning how to take more of them.

We’re also going to do even more for the fans. I want to create content beyond just the pageants. We’ll use our platform to give our mostly female audience information on how to live their best lives, with important information about their health, careers, family, confidence, money management and more. I’d love to help to make a positive impact as we continue to grow our community.

If there’s anything I’ve learned in my 44 years, it’s that change is good. And just like I did with my identity, I’m going to change the Miss Universe Organization into what it was always meant to be: a celebration honouring all women and a safe space for everyone to be the strongest, most powerful versions of themselves.

This piece originally appeared in the October/November 2023 print edition of Cosmopolitan UK.