Jenna Talackova will be permitted to compete as a contestant in the Miss Universe pageant, after she was barred from the competition on March 23 after bloggers discovered she was born a male.
The Miss Universe organization, which is owned by Donald Trump, backtracked on its original decision, saying that Talackova may now participate "provided she meets the legal gender recognition requirements of Canada, and the standards established by other international competitions."
Talackova said she began to identify as a female when she was four years old, and began taking female hormones at age 14. She underwent sex reassignment surgery when she was 19.
The beauty pageant contestant described the initial decision as discrimination, and high-profile lawyer Gloria Allred was set to represent Talackova before Monday's decision.
Talackova will now be able to compete at Miss Universe Canada in Toronto in May.
