Beatrice Luigi Gomez on being the first openly gay bet to win Miss Universe PH crown: ‘It’s not a big deal’
When Beatrice Luigi Gomez was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2021, people were quick to put the attention on her as being the very first openly gay bet to bag the highly coveted title. For the Cebuana beauty, however, it’s not a big deal.
Of course, the 26-year-old—who has been with her girlfriend for six years—is out and proud of her own identity. Even before she was named the biggest winner of the MUPh pageant, she told host KC Montero when she made it to the top 10 that “we are definitely ready to send a member of the LGBTQ+ community to the Universe.”
It’s no doubt that queer representation in different industries is a good thing. Her win has been viewed as a remarkable feat as it’s able to break barriers and stereotypes surrounding gay women. But Gomez has raised an insightful point on the matter.
“Honestly, I haven’t been highlighting my LGBTQIA+ advocacy kasi nga, for me, it’s something na we should normalize—yung idea na we exist,” she said in an interview with MJ Marfori. “So, to be the first-ever crowned LGBTQIA+ member, for me, it’s not a big deal. People should appreciate it and learn from it.”
Gomez is no stranger to pageantry. When she was asked at the Binibining Cebu 2020 about what makes her beautiful, she caught the attention of the judges with her response that helped her win the crown: “I guess what makes me beautiful is my bravery and being true to myself. To tell you guys, honestly, I have a girlfriend. I have tattoos, and I’m proud of my imperfections. I guess that’s what makes me beautiful.”
Aside from her LGBTQIA+ advocacy, she’s been focused on empowering children and the youth. “I’d like to focus more on children because they are the ones that are greatly affected by this pandemic and we just don’t realize it that much but they also have needs that we need to address,” she said.
Gomez will vie for the Miss Universe crown at the 70th edition of the pageant, which will be held in Israel this December.
Article thumbnails from Beatrice Luigi Gomez’ Instagram page