Miss Myanmar first openly gay contestant at Miss Universe

10 December 2019
Miss Myanmar first openly gay contestant at Miss Universe
Miss Universe Myanmar 2019 Swe Zin Htet poses for the photographs after winning Miss Universe Myanmar 2019 pageant contest in Yangon, Myanmar, 31 May 2019. Photo: Lynn Bo Bo/EPA

The Miss Universe beauty pageant has featured an openly gay contestant for the first time, CNN reported.

Twenty-year-old Swe Zin Htet competed as Miss Myanmar at the event on Sunday night in Atlanta, Georgia. Though she failed to advance to the top 20, fans say she has already made history by representing the LGBTQ community on a global stage.

Swe Zin Htet, reportedly came out as gay in an interview posted on a pageant forum.

"I want the world to accept the LGBTQ+ community and their right to choose their own path and pursuit of happiness," she is quoted as saying. "We should always have the freedom of choice and promote equality."

Htet's coming out was met with a flood of support from fans both in Myanmar and across the world, the CNN report said.