Alma Concepcion Says Transgender Candidates Cannot Represent the Full Essence of a Woman
ALMA CONCEPCION – A candid statement from former Binibining Pilipinas-International titleholder Alma Concepcion has ignited discussions about gender, inclusivity, and beauty pageants.
Former beauty queen and actress Alma Concepcion has openly expressed her disagreement with transgender women competing in beauty pageants, including the Miss Universe competition.
Alma, who was crowned Binibining Pilipinas-International in 1994, said she has no issue with mothers and older women joining beauty pageants. She believes motherhood and life experience can add depth to a woman’s journey and perspective.
“Kasi sometimes, parang motherhood makes you better. First, mas lumalalim yung knowledge mo, kumbaga mas nagiging rich yung experience mo,” said Alma.
However, she drew a distinction when discussing transgender women participating in pageants. Alma cited previous transgender candidates from countries such as Spain and Brazil and explained why their participation did not sit well with her personal views on pageantry.
“Yung sa trans naman, okay, may nag-join na di ba, ni Miss Spain or Miss Brazil. So medyo na-off lang ako kasi parang tingin ko kasi sa pageantry, it’s like the Olympics.
“Parang kailangan, when you’re sasali ng Olympics, you should be representing your gender at work. Kasi kung may transgender candidate sa Miss Universe, so puwede rin kaming sumali ng Miss Gay? Parang ganu’n lang yung point ko,” the actress said.
Alma further explained that she believes motherhood and childbirth are part of what she considers the complete experience of being a woman.
“Kasi paano mo mari-reach yung full essence of a woman if you cannot give birth, di ba? So parang kailangan ma-embody mo yung full essence of a woman, hindi lang sa utak, pati yung paano ka maging asawa, paano ka maging mother.
“So may limitation yung transgender. And yun yung stand ko, na kung puwede yung trans sa Miss Universe, pwede rin kaming sumali sa Miss Gay, di ba?” she said.
Despite her position, Alma clarified that she remains supportive of the LGBTQIA+ community and emphasized that her comments are rooted in what she sees as fairness and boundaries.
“Oo naman. Kasi ang sa akin, para fair lang, di ba? Kumbaga, meron lang tayong boundaries, meron lang tayong limitations.
“Tulad ng mga babae, meron pa ring hindi naa-acknowledge na powers ng mga lalaki. So parang ganu’n lang, compartmentalized tayo.
“Kasi nakaka-confuse na, eh.”
“Actually, yung pag-entertain nila ng transgender sa Miss Universe, okay ‘yon. For universal and everything, unity, inclusivity. Pero yung stand ko, eh, yung full essence of a woman, merong hindi mako-cover yung mga trans,” she said.
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