In Thailand, Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip is a household name. Much of the rest of the world, however, is only now getting to know the transgender media mogul.
The 44-year-old Jakrajutatip, also known as Anne JKN, made headlines last year for her $20 million purchase of the Miss Universe Organization (MUO). For American media outlets, the angle was irresistible: a transgender tycoon had bought a pageant company once co-owned by former U.S. president Donald Trump, who advanced anti-LGBTQ+ policies while in office and whose rhetoric around COVID-19 was linked to a rise in anti-Asian sentiment. But Jakrajutatip didn’t buy MUO for the optics; indeed, she has aspirations to turn it into an inclusive and progressive operation, serving the demographics that tune in to watch pageants in the first place.
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“I would love to see Miss Universe become one of the largest online…
