Meet Rikkie Valerie Kollé; First Transgender To Become Miss Universe Netherlands

In a historic event, the Miss Universe Netherlands 2023 title was bagged for the first time by a transgender model Rikkie Valerie Kollé on Saturday, July 8 at the AFAS Theater in Leusden. Here is more about the fighter woman, Valerie.

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Rikkie Valerie Kollé, a Dutch-Moluccan model who lives in Breda, is also an actress.

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The 22 year old will now prepare to represent Netherlands at the 72nd Miss Universe (Miss Universe 2023) which is to be held in El Salvador.

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Rikkie is the second transgender person to have participated in the prestigious Miss Universe pageant.

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Many obstacles that came along her way, made her journey to success a bumpy one. The hardest part of it all was embracing her identity as a transgender person.

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Through it all, Rikkie is extremely grateful to have had the unwavering support of her family.

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About coming out of the closet as transgender, Rikkie says, "I know better than anyone what it's like to feel alone and not be surrounded by only positive thoughts."

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Kollé, aspires to be a prominent voice and role model for the Queer community.

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The trendsetter aims to dedicate her career to supporting individuals who have faced rejection from their families during their transition journey.

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The first runner up in Miss Universe Netherlands 2023 was, Nathalie Mogbelzada, 26, from Amsterdam. And Habiba Mostafa and Lou Dirchs were awarded Miss Congeniality and Miss Social Media, respectively.

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