The controversy of Miss International Queen 2025 in Thailand has shook the internet all over the globe. This year’s Miss international Queen was won by Midori Monet, a Black American trans woman, marking history and a victory for Black and trans visibility worldwide. However, her win was overshadowed when all the other contests celebrated with Olivia Lauren, first runner-up, and ignored Monet during her crowning moment. Lauren publicly accused Monet and another contestant, the second runner-up, of bullying her during the competition, and there were claims that contestants made fun of her and ostracized her backstage.
The drama that occurred among the contestants played out visibly when many contestants and audience members appeared to ignore Monet on stage post-crowning and instead cheered for Lauren, who refused to congratulate the winner and made comments perceived as narcissistic and racist.
The controversy further escalated when some social media commentators and observers accused Lauren of playing “victim,” suggesting her reaction stemmed from disappointment and possible unconscious bias after losing to a Black woman. Monet later emphasized on Instagram and in interviews the importance of visibility, community support, and overcoming hate, while Miss Cuba eventually issued an apology, clarifying that her intentions were not to slander the pageant’s mission.
This reminds me of Aubri Drake’s Clothes Make the Gender/Queer showing how gender expression and visibility are often scrutinized and policed, especially for those living at the intersection of race, gender nonconformity, and class. The journey to find self-expression through clothing becomes an act of survival and resistance against both overt and subtle forms of exclusion. Likewise, Monet’s achievement challenged traditional beauty and gender norms while inviting backlash from those uncomfortable with her presence and power.
Here is the link to a clip of Monet being crowned and the other contestants in the back celebrating the runner-up(s): https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTMDrLhKL/
Did Monet deserve this for allegedly bullying or is Miss Cuba’s being racially bias?
Unruly Bodies 
I seen this video going around and I never knew the context of it but now that I do it’s crazy to think that someone made it that far in a Ms. America pageant and acted like that. I would think if you were runner up you would be on your P’s and Q’s with sportsmanship and respect. It makes me wonder would the rest of the women do the same thing if the roles were reversed.
I thought it was ridiculous that they all ran up to the runner ups and the winner had to celebrate alone. Even if it wasn’t racially motivated, this kind of behavior is highly irrational.
This is such a unique, interesting situation, as Monet has so many intersecting identities that are oppressed in different ways. While bullying is never okay, it certainly does not condone racism. There’s no use in fighting fire with fire. Being the bigger person would entail putting these issues aside and congratulating the winner anyway. I wonder what the motives behind the drama and comments from both women truly were. Racism? Transphobia? Jealously? Or maybe, even a little bit of everything?