Rikkie Valerie Kolle made history by becoming the first transgender woman to be crowned Miss Universe Netherlands 2023 on Saturday, July 8 at the AFAS Theater in Leusden.

26-year-old Nathalie Mogbelzada from Amsterdam was named first runner-up while Habiba Mostafa and Lou Dirchs were awarded Miss Congeniality and Miss Social Media, respectively.

Kolle was trolled on Twitter by a number of conservatives. Most of them called her a “male” and a “male” due to the ongoing culture war that raises questions about transitioned biological males participating in women’s beauty pageants.

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Here are some of the reactions:

Who is Rikkie Valerie Kollé?

Rikkie Valerie Kollé is 22 years old. She is a Dutch-Moluccan model and actress living in Breda. She now succeeds Ona Moody and will now prepare to represent the Netherlands at the highly anticipated 72nd Miss Universe 2023 pageant in El Salvador.

She will become the second transgender representative at the Miss Universe pageant, the first being Spain’s Angela Ponce who participated in 2018.

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According to World360news, Kolle wants to be a voice and role model for her Queer community. She said that she will dedicate her career to helping those who have faced rejection from their families during their transition process. She believes no one should be allowed to stand in the way of someone else’s authenticity.

Kolle had to overcome numerous personal challenges in order to reach where she dreamt to be. After coming out as transgender, she has had to face an array of tribulations. Despite all that, she is deeply committed to her family and views it as a vital source of support and strength.