Miss Universe’s First-Ever Gay Contestant Breaks Barriers By Coming Out

Miss Myanmar’s Swe Zin Htet is breaking barriers.

The pageant queen is the first openly gay contestant in the Miss Universe pageant recently came out and revealed she’s been in a long term relationship with Burmese singer Gae Gae.

The 21-year-old, whose home country of Burma doesn’t legally allow same-sex marriage, spoke to People about her journey.

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“I have that platform that, if I say that I’m a lesbian, it will have a big impact on the LGBTQ community back in Burma,” she told the publication via a translator.

“The difficult thing is that in Burma, LGBTQ people are not accepted, they are looked down on by other people and are being discriminated against,” she continued.

Swe Zin Htet came out on the blog Missology on Nov. 29, 2019.

“I came to a full realization about my sexual orientation over a long period of time,” she told the publication. “I knew I was ‘one of them’ way back in 2015. It is personally quite challenging but I feel that I have a greater voice and the best position to promote this cause. Some pageant fans know about it and they still support me but this is the first time I am able to talk about it in the publics.

The Miss Myanmar Instagram page showed support for Swe Zin Htet.

“Breaking barriers! Spreading awareness in the fight against child abuse and the fight for equality within the LGBTQ community in Myanmar,” the caption reads.

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They also posted back on Nov. 29, sharing support for the pageant contestant.

“Thank you all for your love and kind words towards Miss Myanar, Swe Zin Htet,” the post reads. “#missmyanmar #missuniverse #confidentlybeautiful #loveislove.”

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— Stephanie Swaim