Kataluna Enriquez says she dreamed of seeing a transgender Miss USA contestant. She just never thought it would be her.
Enriquez made history last June when she was crowned Miss Nevada USA, becoming the first openly transgender woman to win the Nevada pageant. She made history again when she became the first to compete in the Miss USA pageant in November. Though she was eliminated early in that event, she says her time as Miss Nevada was “life changing” for her and meaningful for her followers.
The Weekly caught up with Enriquez for a chat before she crowns a new Miss Nevada May 15 at South Point Hotel Casino.
Do you remember the moment that you decided you were going to compete in pageants? Not the exact moment. I just wanted to try it. I was 21. I was working in the modeling industry/fashion industry. I was just tired of constantly being customized to be a certain size and being limited for the industry. I wanted to expand myself from that, and I thought pageantry was something similar but in a way that you can be more empowered, [where] you were able to use your voice and your wisdom and your knowledge to advocate for certain causes.
What was the first pageant in which you participated? It was a trans pageant in Los Angeles called Queen of the Universe.
Can you describe the moment you knew you’d won Miss Nevada? I was hesitant if I was going to win, because it had never been done before. A trans person had never won in the Miss USA system. So I was thinking that maybe it’s not possible; maybe it could just be one of those things that they allow to be in but … won’t really allow you to go further. … [Runner-up] Brittany Butler was amazing; she had every chance of winning the crown. I guess my stars just aligned that day, and I stood brighter. So I was very happy. I was shocked, but it was something I was really hoping for, and I was praying that it was going to happen.
How does it feel to have made history? I really don’t know how to explain making history. It’s like you know that you did it, but then it doesn’t hit you. There is no actual word to explain making history, but I am very thankful. Especially when people message me saying that their children feel inspired, or they know someone who is trans and they felt visible just from what I was doing and that I was able to inspire not just the LGBTQ+ community but other people and other young women. They can aspire to be what they want to be and do what they want to do and feel secure with who they are and not feel like they have to change themselves to fit a certain standard.
Your year as Miss Nevada is drawing to a close. What has the experience been like for you? Life-changing. I did so many things. I wanted to be more than just a person who is trans, who’s just advocating for trans communities. I spread out my wings and spread my platform so many people can feel represented and many people can feel connected with my stories and my actions. I’m very happy with what I’ve done—I was able to connect with our senator and governor [and] work with different organizations and fulfill what I wanted to. I just recently did a few series on the Vegas Instagram account, [one] called “How to Be Rainbow in Vegas.” That was very fulfilling for me, because I was able to share content and my experience being a member of the LGBTQ+ community but also bring in other people in different outlets and different platforms for them to share their opinions and voices.
Did you ever think you would have a platform like this? Oh no, because I was always scared, and I was always shy about speaking up. With pageantry, one of the things that I needed to relearn was to talk, because I was very scared growing up with talking. It was a way for people to kind of out me and to bully me. So, for a long time, I learned to just be quiet and be in the back of the room and be invisible, just so I could survive. But then I learned, through pageantry, I can’t do that. I had to stand up and I had to use my voice. I can’t be shy about what I want to speak up [about].
What would you tell your younger self? Never doubt yourself.
What does beauty mean to you? I think beauty means confidence within yourself. It’s knowing that nobody’s perfect, but everyone has flaws and also everyone has their own blessings. It’s being confident enough that you get to celebrate your own—that you don’t need to stomp on other people. There’s enough room for everyone to be celebrated including yourself.
What are your thoughts about the way pageants are viewed today? I think there’s a huge stigma and a lot of people hesitating between the idea that a woman can be beautiful and can still be empowered and be active and have control and be independent with their own lives. I think people are still stuck with the idea that they can’t do that, but pageantry allows that to happen. We have so many people who have different backgrounds, who advocate for empowerment for younger girls and for younger people in general. For me, that’s minorities and people of color as an Asian American but also [as part of] the LGBTQ+ community.
How involved are you in this year’s Miss Nevada competition? I am working with the Miss Silver State organization. It’s the preliminary competition with Miss Nevada, [so] I was the reigning Miss Silver State. We basically prepared girls competing for Miss Nevada, and I’ve been one of those people—along with a former Miss Nevada, Tiana Tuamoheloa, and Marissa Castillo, who runs Miss Silver State. We make sure that they’re confident within themselves, that they feel empowered, that they know that they want to talk about and really prepare them not just onstage, but also outer confidence.
What’s next for you? I am surprisingly doing a lot of speaking engagements and appearances. I am working with one of our local TV shows. Hopefully that comes [to be], and I’m looking forward to it.
So, no other pageants on the horizon for you? Not anytime soon. I might be done, but I don’t know yet.
Are you still working as a healthcare administrator? I stopped working in the medical field to focus on Miss USA. I still advocate and help out when I can, specifically [with] trans or LGBTQ+ health. Currently, I am working in Palm Springs, California, in a restaurant called Ages of Palm Springs, and all the cast members are transgender women who perform. I’m one of the performers at the moment.
I also saw that you’re working on your own clothing line. Tell me about KatalunaKouture. I’ve been using everything that I’ve worn in my competitions. I’ve designed and I’ve made [them] myself. I am currently making my final gown at the moment … but I will eventually be designing for other people competing for Miss Nevada and hopefully for Miss USA.
