Transgender Woman Crowned Miss Netherlands
Instagram post after being crowned by her predecessor, Ona Moody, at the AFAS Theater in Leusden. “Yes I’m trans and I want to share my story but I’m also Rikkie and that’s what matters to me.
And wherever you are in the world, I want to be there for you and be the example that I missed as a little me.”A post shared by Rikkie Valerie Kollé (@rikkievaleriekolle)Kollé is of Dutch and Indigenous Moluccan descent, and hails from Breda, a city located between Rotterdam and Antwerp.
According to her finalist page, Kollé says she wants to be a role model “for all young women and queer people.”“I know better than anyone what it’s like to feel alone…” she is quoted as saying. “When I was little Rik and came out as transgender, it wasn’t easy for everyone. … Today, I am stronger than ever before.
Through my commitment, strength, and as Miss Netherlands, I hope to bring about change in society.”Increasingly, more transgender women have competed in preliminary pageants recently.
