Transgendered contestant Jenna Talackova cracks top 12 at Miss Universe Canada pageant

Jenna Talackova stole the show at the Miss Universe Canada competition.

Jenna Talackova (third from left) fought successfully to reverse a decision that would have barred her from the Miss Universe Canada competition.

The transgendered contestant strutted her way into beauty pageant history Saturday — and the top 12 — wearing sparkling high heels and a white bikini in front of a fawning 850-person audience. She did not advance to the top five after the evening gown segment.

That Talackova, 23, got to compete at all represents a major policy change at the Miss Universe Organization, which opened the pageant to transgendered women for the first time.

PHOTOS FROM THE PAGEANT

Talackova’s story made headlines around the world when a blogger revealed she had competed in a transsexual beauty pageant in Thailand.

Talackova was immediately disqualified for not being a “naturally born female.”

But the Vancouver beauty refused to back down. She argued the controversial decision was discrimination. Talackova says she knew she was female by the time she was 4, began hormone therapy at 14 and had sex-reassignment surgery at 19.

In a surprise reversal, the Miss Universe Organization, owned by Donald Trump, reinstated her.

The pageant went one step further and changed its rules to allow transgendered women to compete in its worldwide competition. It will model its gender rules after the Olympic’s system, organization president Paula Shugart said Saturday.

“If you are legally recognized in your country, and you’ve had your surgery and been through everything, you’d be able to compete in your country’s pageant,” Shugart said. Some conservative countries have very strict gender rules, she added, meaning transgendered women might not qualify in those places.

But no one questioned the 6-foot-1 blonde’s right to compete Saturday as 62 women from across the country vied for the crown and the chance to represent Canada at the Miss Universe pageant in December.

Vancouver’s Sahar Biniaz, 26, won the competition, held in Toronto. Talackova was in a four-way tie for Miss Congeniality.

“As a transsexual, I'm here to support my community,” said spectator Lola Rodriguez, decked out in a revealing ball gown. “I'm cheering for Jenna but she's got beautiful competition.”

Talackova’s time in the spotlight has been positive for the trans community, said Susan Gapka, chair of Toronto’s Trans Lobby Group, who attended the event to support her. Even though Gapka was skeptical of the beauty pageant at first, she believes the publicity has educated many people who otherwise wouldn’t have thought about the issue.

“Jenna has broken down a barrier for social inclusion in the beauty pageant,” she said. “She’s a winner in our eyes as a woman, a trans, an activist and a beauty queen.”