Key Points
- A Thai business tycoon and transgender activist has bought the Miss Universe Organisation for $31 million.
- Her company said the brand will be used to promote its consumer products.
A Thai business tycoon and transgender activist has bought the Miss Universe Organisation for $31 million, her company said.
Chakrapong "Anne" Chakrajutathib, who controls JKN Global Group Public Co Ltd, is a celebrity in Thailand who has starred in reality shows and is outspoken about being a transgender woman. She helped establish a non-profit group, Life Inspired For Transsexual Foundation, to promote trans rights.
JKN said it acquired the rights to the Miss Universe pageant from IMG Worldwide LLC, a sports, talent and events marketing company which has held the Miss Universe Organisation since 2015. Former United States President Donald Trump was part owner of the pageant rights from 1996 until IMG's purchase.
Transgender Thai activist Anne Jakrajutatip has purchased the Miss Universe brand for A$31 million. Source: Twitter
In a statement, Ms Chakrapong described the purchase as "a strong, strategic addition to our portfolio."
JKN, which is involved in content distribution, beverages, food supplements, beauty and consumer products, said the Miss Universe name will be used to promote its consumer products.
A profile of Ms Chakrapong in the Bangkok Post newspaper earlier this year said in her youth, she studied at an all-male school where she was harassed for identifying as female. After attaining financial success, she spent $1.5 million on sex reassignment surgery and other procedures, it said.
While Thailand enjoys a positive international reputation when it comes to the rights and lifestyles of LGBTIQ+ communities, the absence of a procedure for transgender people to change their legal gender, coupled with insufficient legal protections and social stigma, limits transgender people's access to services and exposes them to daily indignities, New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report last year.
