Beaten and bullied for being trans. Pageant gave her pride

Sophia Vea walks the Miss Galaxy runway in a dress made from discarded mosquito nets.

Sun, 01 Sep 2024

By Michael E. Miller, with photography by Matthew Abbott for the Washingtron PostThe contestant stood just off the stage in Nuku'alofa, nervously shifting in her stilettos. A pink dress clung to her muscular frame, and her hair was pinned back with red flowers.Sophia Vea had spent most of her 21 years hiding who she was: a trans woman in a devoutly Christian country.Her father had punished and disowned her for acting like a girl. Classmates had bullied her. Strangers had hissed horrible things.But now she was ready to sashay down a cat...

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