While the Miss Universe 2023 pageant, known for including transgender contestants, will still take place this Saturday, the JKN Global Group behind it filed for bankruptcy just days before the event.
Thai business magnate and transgender activist Anne Jakrajutatip of JKN Global Group purchased the organization for $20,000,000 in 2022.
Jakrajutatip, who has international fame as a transgender celebrity, described the purchase at the time as “a strong and strategic addition to our portfolio.”
But a year later, the franchise itself seems shaky.
A public document submitted to the Stock Exchange of Thailand by JKN Global Group stated that “JKN Global Group Public Company Limited (the ‘Company’) has filed a corporate rehabilitation petition with the Central Bankruptcy Court under the Bankruptcy Law BE 2483 (1940) (as amended) (the ‘Bankruptcy Law’) on November 8, 2023, the Central Bankruptcy Court subsequently issued an order accepting the Company’s business rehabilitation petition on November 9, 2023. ”
The Miss Universe Organization released a subsequent announcement stating that amid “the current financial situation” that “We confirm that Miss Universe 2023 will take place in El Salvador on November 18, 2023, where we will provide a top-notch experience to our fans.” “It will continue to be our top priority.” .” [sic]
This year’s Miss Universe pageant is scheduled to feature at least two transgender people who identify as women for the first time: Miss Portugal, a flight attendant named Marina Machete, and Rikkie Kollé, the first transgender Miss Netherlands.
JKN Global Group has filed for bankruptcy. AFP via Getty Images
This follows Spain’s Angela Ponce, who was the pageant’s first trans contestant in 2018, but did not advance to the final.
Machete posted a video in September lamenting that “the rising levels of transphobia and intolerance are alarming around the world.”
However, Machete stated that it was “heartwarming” to see “that the Miss Universe organization is so inclusive, breaking boundaries and creating a platform for women to not only empower themselves but also to create real changes in their own communities.”
“Trans women are women, period,” the Miss Universe Organization told CNN in October, following the crowning of Miss Portugal. “We are here to celebrate women, period. “This has been the case for over a decade and we are proud to have made this change at a very early stage, compared to other programmes.”
The JKN Global group and the Miss Universe Organization have yet to respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn