Sex change might not bar wannabe beauty queen

The Miss Universe Organization may reverse an earlier decision and allow a transgender woman to enter the Miss Universe Canada pageant.

Jenna Talackova, 23, was born male, leading organizers to disqualify her last month as a finalist in the 61st Miss Universe Canada pageant in May.

The rules of the contest run by Donald Trump's New York City-based organization say entrants must be ``naturally born'' females. The woman underwent a sex change four years ago.

But shortly after Talackova announced a news conference in Los Angeles for Tuesday the Miss Universe Organization said in a statement on Monday that Talackova can compete ``provided she meets the legal gender recognition requirements of Canada, and the standards established by other international competitions.''

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