Transgender Miss Netherlands Rikkie Valerie Kollé blasts ‘sad and horrible’ attacks on Dylan Mulvaney after Bud Light disaster and claims critics who wish them dead ‘see us as monsters’
- The newly crowned transgender winner of the Netherlands’ Miss Universe pageant said she relates to the hate Dylan Mulvaney is receiving
- In an interview, Rikkie Valerie Kollé said that everyday she reads DMs telling her to kill herself from people who see her as a ‘monster’
- Later this year, Kollé will go on to compete in the Miss Universe pageant in El Salvador, which is now owned by a transgender woman
The transgender winner of the Miss Universe Netherlands pageant criticized the hate being directed at transgender TikToker Dylan Mulvaney, saying that those who wish they were dead ‘see us as monsters.’
In an interview with Newsweek, Rikkie Valerie Kollé said the vitriol Mulvaney continues to experience following a disastrous partnership with Bud Light is ‘sad’ and ‘horrible.’
‘I think it’s really to make the girl that low in confidence,’ Kollé said.
She said that Mulvaney’s experience reminded her of the brutal remarks she receives online daily.
‘They see us as monsters, and my daily DMs are full of people wishing me dead. Wishing me dead and telling me to suicide, those things are terrible to write, but at the same [time], it’s only lifting me up because I get a bigger platform than I could ever dream of,’ she said.
Rikkie Valerie Kollé looked a picture of confidence when she beamed at the crowd as she became the first transgender woman to be crowned Miss Netherlands
Kollé condemned the ongoing hate Dylan Mulvaney continues to receive following the disastrous April partnership with Bud Light. Mulvaney recently fled the country, telling followers that she no longer felt safe in the US
Earlier in July, Kollé won the Miss Universe Netherlands pageant, so becoming the first ever transgender contestant to take home the crown.
She will advance to the Miss Universe pageant, which is being held later this year in El Salvador.
In an Instagram post after her win, Kollé wrote: ‘It’s unreal, but I get to call myself [Miss Netherland] 2023. It was an educational and beautiful journey … I’m so proud and happy I can’t even describe it. Making my community proud and showing it can be done.’
When asked to describe herself in one word ahead of the pageant final, Kollé said in a video: ‘Victory,; adding: ‘Because as a little boy I conquered all things that came through my path and look at me now.
‘Standing here, as a strong, empowering and confident trans woman. Love is love. Be who you want to be and never forget always celebrate your pride.’
The Dutch-Moluccan contestant impressed the jury with her ‘iron strong story’ and ‘clear mission.’
Transgender billionaire Anne Jakrajutatip, 43, took over the Miss Universe organization from Donald Trump in October last year and has since underscored her belief that ‘trans women are women, full stop.’
Transgender women are allowed to compete so long as they have received gender affirming surgery.
Kollé has previously said that becoming a woman was ‘not easy for everyone’ and admitted that she personally suffered greatly on her journey.
She was, however, so determined to become a girl that she changed her name from Rik to Rikkie at the age of just 11, convinced she was ‘born in the wrong body.’ But in her youth, she faced years of bullying which saw her come home from school and cry most days.
Rikkie Valerie Kolle looked a picture of confidence when she beamed at the crowd as she became the first transgender woman to be crowned Miss Netherlands
Ms Kolle (pictured after gender affirmation surgery), who changed her name from Rik to Rikke at 11 and was teased for years, believes she was ‘born in the wrong body’
Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip (pictured in November 2022) acquired the Miss Universe system last year, she has said the pageant will recognize trans women as women
Sharing the moment of winning to her 30,000 followers on Instagram, Ms Kolle (pictured) wrote: ‘I DID IT!!!!!
‘I was born little Rik, but I wanted to be a big Rikkie. Transitioning from male to female became something that made me feel at home,’ she wrote on her Instagram.
‘I endured teasing and would go home crying. I would think, “Why me, why is this happening to me?” But I always had the support of my loving family and friends.’
She eventually had gender affirmation surgery in January of this year – something she described as ‘the day I became who I want to be.’
Kollé will be the second transgender woman ever to compete in Miss Universe.
In 2018 Angela Ponce from Spain became the first trans woman to compete for the acclaimed Miss Universe title.
Earlier this year Daniela Arroyo González, who is openly transgender, was also selected to compete in the Puerto Rico competition.
Transgender contestants have been able to compete for the crown since 2012.
Mulvaney announced the partnership in a series of videos posted to social media at the start of April
Kollé said that Mulvaney’s experience reminded her of the brutal remarks she receives online daily
Meanwhile, Mulvaney was recently revealed to be traveling in Peru, after feeling unsafe in America as the fallout of the Bud Light drama continues.
Bud Light’s April partnership with transgender influencer Mulvaney has cost the brand’s parent-company about $22billion in market cap to date.
Sales of Bud Light plunged 28.5 percent for the week that ended in July 1, down slightly from the 27.9 percent decline the brand saw for the week ending in June 24.
Mulvaney told fans the solo trip to South America is part of an effort to reconnect with herself.
‘Okay surprise! I’m in Peru! I’m at Machu Picchu. Isn’t this so beautiful,’ Mulvaney said in a video with a llama.
‘I came here to feel something. And I definitely have. I have done shaman ceremonies that were like 10 years worth of therapy, it was wild.
‘I’ve seen a lot of llamas. The people here are so kind. I feel very safe here.
‘It’s a little sad that I had to leave my country to feel safe but that will get get better eventually.
‘I am dying for some Trader Joes rolled chilli lime chips but other than that I am so content. I still haven’t been kissed yet but I’m holding out hope.
‘Most of all this trip has me feeling like my own best friend again. And that is the best feeling in the world.’
Dylan Mulvaney has fled to Peru for some well-needed solo travel and soul searching after she complained she no longer felt safe in the US
She said: ‘Most of all this trip has me feeling like my own best friend again. And that is the best feeling in the world’
Mulvaney only recently broke her silence on the fiasco and excoriated the troubled brand for not standing by her.
Speaking to her 1.8 million followers, she said: ‘was waiting for the brand to reach out to me, but they never did. I’ve been scared to leave my house.
‘For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse than not hiring a trans person at all.
‘I have been ridiculed in public I’ve been followed and I have felt a loneliness that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.’
After she went public with her criticism, Anheuser-Busch hit back in a statement to say they are ‘committed committed to the programs and partnerships’ they have forged with the LGBTQ+ community.
Bud Light’s April partnership with transgender influencer Mulvaney has cost the brand’s parent-company about $22billion in market cap to date
The company didn’t name Mulvaney directly, but their comments came immediately after she hit out at them for not being supportive of her and the trans community.
In the statement, they said: ‘The privacy and safety of our employees and our partners is always our top priority.
‘As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best – brewing great beer for everyone and earning our place in moments that matter to our consumers.’
Their statement comes after CEO Brendan Whitworth was slammed for refusing to rule out if the company would partner with Mulvaney again – and avoided answering how much the marketing blunder had cost Bud Light.
It is one of the few occasions the company has directly addressed the controversy caused by the partnership with Mulvaney – as bosses initially claimed that an ‘outside agency without management awareness or approval made the move to work with Mulvaney.’
Anheuser-Busch said earlier this month it would triple its marketing spending in the US this summer as it attempts to boost ailing sales.
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