Trans model and actor is crowned Miss Netherlands and will compete for Miss Universe

Rikkie Valerie Kollé has won the Miss Netherlands crown, and she will become the second openly transgender woman to participate in the Miss Universe pageant.

Rikkie Valerie Kollé has won the Miss Netherlands crown, and she will become the second openly transgender woman to participate in the Miss Universe pageant.

“I DID IT !!!!!” Kollé, 22, wrote in an Instagram post after she was crowned in the pageant on Saturday, July 9. “Yes I’m trans and I want to share my story but I’m also Rikkie and that’s what matters to me. I did this on my own strength and enjoyed every moment.”

Later down in the caption, she wrote: “Wherever you are in the world, I want to be there for you and be the example that I missed as a little me.”

She finished off her Instagram post with writing, “On to many more adventures, let’s get @missuniverse ready. So excited!!!”

Kollé, a Dutch-Moluccan model and actress, hails from the city of Breda in the south of the Netherlands. She previously competed on the TV series “Holland’s Next Top Model.”