Miss Myanmar Swe Zin Htet was among the
90 women competing to become Miss Universe 2019.
Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa was
crowned Miss Universe 2019 on Sunday.
While Htet didn't reach the top 20, she
still shattered barriers by becoming the pageant's first openly gay
contestant.
Also a singer and actress, Htet came
out publicly on the blog Missology on November 29. Myanmar is also
called Burma.
“I have that platform that, if I say
that I'm a lesbian, it will have a big impact on the LGBTQ community
back in Burma,” she told PEOPLE.
“The difficult thing is that [in]
Burma, LGBTQ people are not accepted, they are looked down on by
other people and are being discriminated against,” Htet
said.
Htet, 21, said that she realized that
she was gay at around 15 or 16. She's been in a three-year
relationship with Burmese singer Gae Gae.