PRIDE MONTH

Pia Wurtzbach voices solidarity with LGBTQIA+ community: ‘Don’t invalidate trans women’

Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach has expressed her support for the rights and advocacies of the LGBTQIA+ community.

“Let me just make a stand that our friends and family in the LGBTQIA+ community have the right to take up space in our society ... that their voices should be heard, that we don’t invalidate trans women as women,” the beauty queen said in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

“We can learn to accept these concepts by having a dialogue. By listening and understanding our differences.. we will grow and uplift one another as one community in strengthening equality and diversity,” she said.

Pia said that even though people had different opinions, it’s still important to provide platforms for community members to openly discuss “issues and concerns that affect us.”

“This will also enable our broader community, especially those with differing views, to ponder on things that matter to our fellowmen,” she added. “...[O]ur constant discourse will make our tomorrow better because we understand one another better.”

Just this week, transgender beauty queen Kevin Balot received backlash online after stating that traditional pageants should only be for natural born women. — Kaela Malig/RC, GMA News