Page 26 - Adelante Magazine February 2025

Community
By, Daniel P'Lopez
Photos by: Daniel Travi, LV Elite Media

Midori Monet

Miss Queen International USA
Midori Monet was born and raised in the ever- of her community. One of her inspirations was ites is Spider-Man. She loves web-slinging and
green state of Tacoma, Washington, but now a real housewife of Atlanta, Kenya Moore, who moving around the city, which is a fun adven-
resides in Seattle. She grew up in a mixed won Miss USA in 1993. Seeing a black beauty ture to live in a fantasy world and a good way
household with her father and her stepmom. pageant winner for Midori was very inspira- for her to de-stress and relax.
Midori would also get visitation from her tional. Also, Miss Kataluna Enriquez, who com-
mother, who was a sketching designer and a peted and won Miss Nevada, was the first trans Modri is engaged to a man named Mufasa and
big inspiration for her getting into fashion. Mid- woman to win the competition. plans to get married sometime in the near fu-
ori says that as a kid, she would snoop around ture. Midori is also a Kiki house mother; her
her mother’s drawers and saw an amazing Midori was the only black trans woman to com- house is called the Kiki House of Moschino,
sketchbook full of original masterpieces that pete in Miss Washington, and she admits it where she uplifts the voices and the lives of
her mother had created. wasn’t a comfortable position to be in with trans women and queer youth. Where she
many sis women as a trans woman because mentors and teaches these teens and young
Midori always felt different about herself and she wasn’t able to relate with the other girls. adults about life and sexual education.
her body as a kid, and all of the signs of being But once she was able to compete in Miss In-
different were definitely there. Midori grew up ternational Queen, a pageant for trans women. Midori would like to thank all of her fans and
in a very religious household. Her father was a Midori felt accepted because she was able to supporters. She is in the works on a series
music minister and played the organ in church. be who she is. Midori admits she felt like a where she shows how she created her looks
With her stepmother in the choir, she was al- winner from the moment she received her for International Queen, starting with her pre-
ways in or around the church and didn’t have phone call to participate in the competition. liminary gown and evening gown, which she
much of a chance to see queer life, especially made herself and wore to her crowning.
through the eyes of the trans experience. She left not only with the crown but also with a
sisterhood she would’ve never imagined pos- Adelante would like to congratulate Midori on
Midori had her fair share of nitpicking and being sible. Modri envisioned wearing the crown from her winnings and crown and on her future with
bullied even by her teachers, and she would al- the very beginning and always felt like a winner love, happiness, and more dreams coming
ways have teacher-parent conferences. It car- for many weeks—it felt like a dream come true true.
ried itself throughout her entire childhood. for her.
Midori always knew who she was from an early You can follow Midori
start. She didn’t have the language for it until When Midori isn’t working on pageants, she is @MissInternationalQueenUSA
later in life. Midori wasn’t able to see other trans sewing and designing new looks. She also ad- @MidoriMonet
women until her later teenage years. She also mits to loving video games. One of her favor-
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 grate-
ful 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 leader-
ship 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 Wash-
ington USA, and she is also a proud competitor
of the Miss Washington system. She also rep-
resented Miss Capitol Hill USA, which Capitol
Hill is the gay district in Seattle, to represent all
26 WWW.ADELANTEMAGAZINE.COM \ TO ADVERTISE IN ADELANTE MAGAZINE CALL (323) 256-6639