Keylyn Trajano Takes Up Space for Her Community Through Her Role as Universal Woman Arabia 2025

Photo from @universalwomanarabia

Every survival story inside the rainbow is different; the transgender community, in particular, faces unique battles. These often include not just the process of medical transition, but also the constant obstacle of existing without being perceived as “overly demanding,” for the normal rights that the cisgender receive. Keylyn Trajano—a model, entrepreneur, advocate, and the first-ever transgender woman crowned as Universal Woman Arabia 2025—recognizes these struggles. 

In an exclusive interview with Metro.Style, Keylyn talked about her ongoing journey to break boundaries and achieve milestones for the transgender community.

Keylyn has been helping uplift the community ever since she began her career. Her rise to fame started after her runway debut as the first transgender woman in the female category of Century Tuna Superbods and Bench: Body of Work. Following that breakthrough, she was set to become the first-ever transgender candidate for Miss Universe Philippines, representing Pampanga. However, due to unexpected circumstances, she withdrew her candidacy. Later, she was crowned Universal Woman Arabia 2025, proving that destiny truly has its way of redirecting queens toward a different crown.

Keylyn’s pageant journey

Standing as a beacon for both the LGBTQ+ community and the region of Arabia includes unexpected pressures. Keylyn plans to face them with grace and strategy, while never forgetting the support she receives from her own country, the Philippines:

“ I first carry the flag in the region of Arabia, but I also carry the flag of the Philippines, so it's two in one. And I'm not only carrying the community of Arabia, but I'm also carrying the LGBT community globally. So it is a lot of weight on my shoulders, but I don't feel so much of the pressure. I feel more of the excitement that finally we are given a chance and given a space to be able to be visible, to show our existence.”

Representing the transgender community for years is no easy feat, and for Keylyn, holding the crown of Universal Woman Arabia 2025 comes with a new layer of responsibility. Regardless of how demanding the role of a queen may be, Keylyn still plans to continue her advocacy even after her reign.

“I guess, for me, it's all about education, visibility, and, of course, existence. I've been doing a lot of firsts in my lifespan. Not only am I the first transwoman in the Universal Woman International pageant, [but] I’ve also been breaking boundaries here in the Philippines. I was the first trans[gender] woman candidate for Century Tuna. I was the first-ever Miss Universe Philippines candidate from Pampanga last year. So basically, it's about stepping out of the box—not only educating cisgender or heterosexual communities but also our own LGBT community that transwomen have the capability to achieve things beyond the norm, especially in the Philippines,” Keylyn told Metro.Style.

Similar to every other candidate who competed for an international pageant, Keylyn’s journey has not been without hurdles. She resonated with the fast-paced, back-to-back events that led to her current crown.

“Since last September, I was competing for Century. Within a span of weeks, I was already competing for Miss Universe Philippines Pampanga. And then within a span of two to three days, I was already inducted for this. So there was no resting period or timeline for me. So, preparation-wise, I've been preparing for a year now. Actually, come to think of it, it's already been one year of my training, preparation, and everything. It's more of, like, enjoying the moment. I guess I've already been mature and ripe enough to be in this position. It's about just knowing what to say, knowing what to do, and knowing my responsibilities and my accountability,” Keylyn shared.

Keylyn also expressed her deep gratitude to the Universal Woman organization for its progressive inclusion to welcome transgender women and create a healthy, warm space for the community, saying, "I'm really blessed and grateful for this organization that they're able to give me this platform, to be broadcast widely, to have a huge engagement, huge reach, to foster education, to foster respect, to empower the trans[women] community, and to empower the women as well. Because it's not only the transwomen community but also the cisgender women that are experiencing rejection in the workspace because, you know, women and LGBT from decades already have been experiencing injustice." 

What Keylyn represents

The majority of the Arab region practices Islam; on how Keylyn entered, won, and even represented them in an international pageant, she narrated the story with honesty, confidence, and clarity, speaking on behalf of the diverse mindset the Arab region has when it comes to civil rights for gender.

“Basically, I'm just proud. People are stereotyped. The mindset of people who are actually viewing this is a bit negative because they think that the Arab region is really not welcoming to people like me. But to be honest, they are very open.

“And you know what's nice about the Arab region is that if you are female in your documents, they welcome you as female. But the thing about the Arab region is they're very private, and they're not as broadcast as the Western countries and the Asian countries. But that is really what's happening right now. And in the Arab region, they're very progressive already with the situation with women.” 

The story behind Keylyn’s venture into Universal Woman

Universal Woman continues to bring forward strong candidates with the power to influence societal mindsets positively and progressively. Keylyn shared her thoughts on why the Universal Woman organization stands out to her: “To be honest, when I found out about this pageant, my heart was with them already, and they know about it. How was that so? When I was announced as Miss Universe Pampanga representative, they actually tapped me to compete for the Philippines.”

Additionally, for the first time, Keylyn also clarified the rumors on TikTok regarding her withdrawal from her candidacy as Miss Universe Philippines Pampanga and her move to Universal Woman Arabia. She elaborated that while she was already tapped to represent Universal Woman Philippines, she was also under contract with the Miss Universe Philippines Organization, overlapping with her schedules and time. 

“I was already signed under the contract of the Miss Universe organization here in the Philippines. Yeah, it was an overlap. That's why I think now is the time, because this is the first interview that I will reveal it—because some of the hearsay is just for TikTok and stuff. So basically, I resigned. I resigned from Miss Universe Philippines Pampanga because I was already inducted for this pageant. So it's a matter of where I belong. Plus, I know that I belong more in this pageant because I was already manifesting and was eyeing this pageant ever since it started, and when my close friend, Maria Gigante, won last year.”

Keylyn may have paved the way for the community, but she also encourages everyone to stand up for it and to go beyond what’s expected. She may have started it, but it doesn’t have to end with her. Keylyn’s journey serves as a motivation for the community to break boundaries and pursue opportunities, even when society says otherwise. In the end, she believes it’s up to the organization, yourself, and not the people who try to drag you down.

“We all have a lot of us. I'm not going to be the last. Mark my words, I'm not going to be the last because it is open for everyone. I think it's just a matter of bravery and courage. You know, it's not that they're manipulating me. It's more of like I want people to try. I want my community to try. Even if the people and the Filipinos or whatever community are saying that, ‘Oh, you cannot do this.’ It's not up to them. It's up to the organization. It's up to the team. It's up to yourself. You should not let society tell you or dictate to you where you should go and what you should do. The one who should dictate to you is the organization. And apparently, the organization is welcoming and loving,” Keylyn opened up. 

Keylyn’s thoughts on being regarded as a “first” among the transgender community in the Philippines

Being recognized as someone with several “first” achievements pushes Keylyn to be limitless. Holding this title as a transgender woman keeps her grounded, serving as her inspiration to continue redefining horizons for the community. While there were times when dreams felt far from reality, Keylyn’s belief that all dreams can come true, as long as you believe in them, can become a source of strength, not a setback.

"At times, it would be very vulnerable for me because I don't have, I mean, during my time, even my younger days, I don't have anyone to ask, like, 'How was it?', 'How do you deal with it?' You know, it was always me, myself, and the people who, my parents, my mom, my support system. It's just them that I keep asking. And even them, sometimes, they would feel doubtful of my decisions. It's like, because when people love you, they would get hurt twice as much as when you're getting hurt and when you're getting rejected. And I guess it's just being brave and courageous. And for me, it doesn't matter failing, and failing, and failing, and falling as much as I can, because I really failed and I really fell down a lot of times. And it's about how I come back and how I keep trying,” Keylyn expressed.

Throughout Keylyn’s journey—and even in the general transgender experience—society often portrays success or self-expression of a transgender woman as “too much” or seeking “extreme validation.” But in fact, the transgender community simply wants to live peacefully, without being seen as “different” in the eyes of everyone. 

“I guess this is where the conversation of my representations comes into play because when I am in the position, I can educate them with this kind of thought. We are not asking for too much. To be honest, we're not even asking. We're just trying. Let's rephrase that. Transwomen and women are not asking for anything. We are just trying. And the people who are in a position are the ones giving us that power. So we are just trying to put ourselves out there to have no regrets in our lives. And we are just lucky and blessed that there are people like these organizations who see something, who see potential in people like us, that give us the opportunity. And we just grab that opportunity and use that opportunity purposely and as an inspiration for other people,” Keylyn mused. 

The Universal Woman 2025 pageant will run from August 1 to August 11, with the grand finale on August 10 to be held in Jaipur, India. Keylyn is ready to slay, inspire, and bring home the crown, building another legacy for the LGBTQ community, the Arab region, and the Philippines.

Lead photo from @keylyntrajano