Midori Monet of the USA reacts after being crowned the winner of the Miss International Queen 2025. ( Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
American trans woman Midori Monet has been named Miss International Queen 2025.
Miss USA Monet won the beauty pageant for trans women on Saturday (20 September). The theme for this year’s competition aimed to promote inclusion, equality and pride in trans communities worldwide.
As she was crowned, the winner tearful winner said: “I feel I am living out my ancestors’ wildest dreams: being here, loud and proud in my skin, happy with who I am, and representing my entire community. It feels so amazing and I’m so happy to do it alongside my sisters. It means the world to me.”
People on social media praised Miss Malaysia, Khleo Ambrose, and Miss Indonesia, Kaycia Lee, for being the first to congratulate Monet on her victory.
Monet later posted an Instagram Story in which she called Miss Malaysia a “true sister and queen”.
In an interview with Gavety, Monet said she was determined to use her visibility to make a difference. “We need to be visible. We need to stand up and use our voices to show everyone that we are thriving.”
In a clear nod to the hate faced by the trans community, especially in the US, she added: “We are human beings. We have hearts, emotions and feelings just like everyone else.”
Speaking toTransLiving International , she added: “I’m taking it one step at a time and focusing on being triumphant in the daily battle that is life.”
Who is Midori Monet?
Midori Monet is originally from Tacoma, in the state of Washington, but now lives in Seattle.
A glance at her Instagram account, which is full of pageantry imagery, shows that she is religious, with a biblical quote from Romans featuring in her bio. The passage emphasises that anyone who judges others is inexcusable because they are practising the same things they condemn.
Monet is also the co-founder of The House of Scott, which is described as “a chosen family for queer youth [and a] space to create, belong and shine where love is louder than rejection.” The other founder appears to be her brother, Mufasa, who is signed to SMG Models.
According to Adelante magazine, the beauty queen grew up in a mixed household with her father, who plays the organ in church, and stepmother, who is in the choir.
Monet’s first beauty pageant was Miss Washington USA and she also represented Miss Capitol Hill USA. She is inspired by Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore, who won Miss USA in 1993.
Midori Monet Miss Queen International USA
Midori Monet was born and raised in the evergreen state of Tacoma, Washington, but now resides in Seattle. She grew up in a mixed household with her father and her stepmom. Midori would also get visitation from her mother, who was a sketching designer and a big inspiration for her getting into fashion. Midori says that as a kid, she would snoop around her mother’s drawers and saw an amazing sketchbook full of original masterpieces that her mother had created.
Midori always felt different about herself and her body as a kid, and all of the signs of being different were definitely there. Midori grew up in a very religious household. Her father was a music minister and played the organ in church. With her stepmother in the choir, she was always in or around the church and didn’t have much of a chance to see queer life, especially through the eyes of the trans experience.
Midori had her fair share of nitpicking and being bullied even by her teachers, and she would always have teacher-parent conferences. It carried itself throughout her entire childhood. Midori always knew who she was from an early start. She didn’t have the language for it until later in life. Midori wasn’t able to see other trans women until her later teenage years. She also explained that she was not embraced with open arms when she first came out as gay, but then later realized it was more than that. She never saw or felt herself as being a male.
After some hardships with her parents and some separation, her family grew to love the woman she has become, and she is very grateful for the journey that her parents had gone on. “I’m so grateful that we get to live in a world for younger queer people can see people like me or see other celebrities on TV and understand that there’s someone that might look like them or someone that they might see themselves in.” “Because that wasn’t an opportunity that I was gifted with in my childhood so I’m grateful for the changes that we have and for the leadership and the advocacy of new queer people that are taking a rise and using their voices. I think it’s so amazing.”
Midori’s first beauty pageant was Miss Washington USA, and she is also a proud competitor of the Miss Washington system. She also represented Miss Capitol Hill USA, which Capitol Hill is the gay district in Seattle, to represent all of her community. One of her inspirations was a real housewife of Atlanta, Kenya Moore, who won Miss USA in 1993. Seeing a black beauty pageant winner for Midori was very inspirational. Also, Miss Kataluna Enriquez, who competed and won Miss Nevada, was the first trans woman to win the competition.
Midori was the only black trans woman to compete in Miss Washington, and she admits it wasn’t a comfortable position to be in with many sis women as a trans woman because she wasn’t able to relate with the other girls. But once she was able to compete in Miss International Queen, a pageant for trans women. Midori felt accepted because she was able to be who she is. Midori admits she felt like a winner from the moment she received her phone call to participate in the competition.
She left not only with the crown but also with a sisterhood she would’ve never imagined possible. Modri envisioned wearing the crown from the very beginning and always felt like a winner for many weeks—it felt like a dream come true for her.
When Midori isn’t working on pageants, she is sewing and designing new looks. She also admits to loving video games. One of her favorites is Spider-Man. She loves web-slinging and moving around the city, which is a fun adventure to live in a fantasy world and a good way for her to de-stress and relax.
Modri is engaged to a man named Mufasa and plans to get married sometime in the near future. Midori is also a Kiki house mother; her house is called the Kiki House of Moschino, where she uplifts the voices and the lives of trans women and queer youth. Where she mentors and teaches these teens and young adults about life and sexual education.
Midori would like to thank all of her fans and supporters. She is in the works on a series where she shows how she created her looks for International Queen, starting with her preliminary gown and evening gown, which she made herself and wore to her crowning.
Adelante would like to congratulate Midori on her winnings and crown and on her future with love, happiness, and more dreams coming true.
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