Israel's first transgender beauty pageant, won by a Christian Arab on Friday, brought together contestants from the Holy Land's main faiths in an unconventional show of tolerance and coexistence.
The Christian, Taleen Abu Hanna, won and will represent Israel at the Miss Trans Star International pageant in Barcelona in September - a role she will evidently relish.
Unlike elsewhere in the Middle East, Israel has mostly liberal laws on sexual identity, with openly gay and transgender troops in its conscript military.
"Israeli people like transgenders but they don't have enough information about transgenders," said pageant judge Efrat Tilma at the prestigious venue, Tel Aviv's Habima National Theatre.
"Among us there are judges, there are doctors, there are lawyers, there are people who are working in hi-tech positions and, as well, people who would like to go to the Israeli parliament and to represent us in our parliament."
Carolin Khoury, a Muslim contestant, said she hoped Friday's contest would "send a message to the Arab communities in Israel or abroad, to accept the other".
She described overcoming sometimes violent opposition to her gender choice from her family.
"The Israeli police helped me to move out of my home, and despite all of the bad situations, I came through, I kept moving toward my dream, and here I am now," she told Reuters. "This competition will open the door for some people."
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