These are the requirements to participate in Señorita Panamá

Challenges of Miss Panama when admitting transsexual women 1:13

(CNN Spanish) -

For now, none have registered, but the opportunity is on the table after the Organization Señorita Panamá announced that starting this year it opens the door for transgender women to participate in the beauty pageant that it sends to its representatives to international competitions, including the Miss Universe.

César Anel Rodríguez, president of the Miss Panama Organization, explained to CNN that it is not a personal decision, but rather to comply with the guidelines established by the Miss Universe franchise, which allows the participation of transgender women in its pageant, as happened. in 2018 with Angela Ponce, Miss Spain.

But not just any transgender person could enter Miss Panama.

The organizer of the contest clarifies that she must comply "medically and legally" with the requirements that identify her as a woman.

«When we speak of medically and legally recognized, it is about women by birth or women who at some point in their life were men, and who made a sex or gender change, and that there is a doctor who can verify that this change is she did, and that there is a document, a personal identity card or a passport that says in her document that she is a woman, "explained the president of Señorita Panamá.

The announcement of this change in the Panamanian beauty pageant, which has been held since 1952, was good news for the president of the Iguales Foundation, Iván Chanis, which promotes respect for human rights and equality for members of the community. LGBT, including transgender people.

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“The most important thing is that a much-needed conversation about the rights of trans people in Panama continues.

Panama has a long way to go in respecting the right to identity, "said Iván Chanis.

But not all Panamanians welcome this change.

Cilinia Prada, representative of Panama in Miss Universe 1984, expressed herself on her social networks and in conversation with CNN, and showed her rejection of the measure, since she said she did not understand the concept of gender identity.

However, beyond the opinions for and against, this open compass, at another time, would have fulfilled the dreams of transgender people like Mónica González, who has spent half her life between lights and cameras due to her career as a makeup artist of TV.

«It seems to me that it is an advance, as long as everything is carried out in line with respect, the legal and education, as it is a new issue in Panama, and a controversial issue.

But it is an excellent opportunity for inclusion to advance because trans women are women, "said Mónica González, a member of the Panamanian Association of Trans People.

Given the diverse opinions about the announcement, César Anel Rodríguez admitted that he is aware of the controversy of the issue in Panamanian society, but concluded by saying: «We are simply complying with an international guideline ... If there are people who are opposed, if there are people who are in favor, they have every right to do so and they have every right to continue supporting the project;

or they have every right to look the other way ».

Even so, and as organizer of Señorita Panamá, Rodríguez reported that the registration for the contest ends this Friday, March 5, and clarified that so far there are no transgender women registered.