委内瑞拉变性人夺得选美桂冠

A 22-year-old Venezuelan was crowned "Miss International Queen" on Friday night at a beauty contest that bills itself as the world's largest and promotes the rights of transsexuals and transvestites.

Isabella Santiago beat 21 contestants from 18 countries to win the title and prize money of $12,500 at a glittering pageant in the Thai resort town of Pattaya. The winner of the 2014 contest can also opt for free cosmetic surgery.

Santiago, who wore a shimmery white evening gown, laughed and said "Sleep!" when asked about her plans after the win.

"When on stage, she is so elegant and that's why the judges' decision was unanimous," said Seri Wongmontha, one of the pageant's judges.

The contest, in its tenth year, was held at the Tiffany's nightclub famous for its transvestite cabaret.

Like other beauty pageants, contestants for "Miss International Queen" paraded in their national costumes, evening gowns and swimsuits.

Miss USA Samira Sitara told Reuters TV that participating in the contest was a "dream come true", and this was the first time she was coming out publicly after being encouraged by friends.

"You know what, this is life and you can't run away from the past. I can't hide it anymore," she said.星期五晚，一名22岁的委内瑞拉选手夺得选美大赛桂冠，成为“国际选美皇后”。这是世界上最大的一场选美比赛，旨在宣扬变性人和易装癖者的权利。

这场盛大的比赛在泰国的度假胜地——芭提雅（Pattaya）举行。伊莎贝拉·桑提亚哥（Isabella Santiago）从来自18个不同国家的21名参赛选手中脱颖而出，夺得“国际选美皇后”称号，并获得12500美元奖金。2014年的冠军还能享受免费的整容手术。

桑提亚哥当晚身着一件光彩照人的白色晚礼服。当被问到获胜后想做的第一件事是什么时，她笑着回答说想睡觉。

作为比赛的评委，社里·王梦萨（Seri Wongmontha）表示，桑提亚哥在舞台上表现得优雅大方，这正是评委们一致选择她的原因。

本次第十届选美大赛在蒂凡尼的夜总会（Tiffany's nightclub）举行，这里最有名的要数它的反串歌舞表演。同其他的选美比赛一样，“国际选美皇后”的参赛者要穿着她们的民族服饰、晚礼服及泳装走秀。

美国小姐萨米拉·西塔拉（Samira Sitara）接受路透电视台（Reuters TV）采访表示，参加这场比赛就像是实现了自己的梦想。在朋友们的鼓励下，这是她第一次向公众展示自己。

她说道：“你知道吗，你无法逃避过去的日子，这就是生活。我不需要再遮遮掩掩地生活下去了。”