Anne Jakrajutatip opens up about her life and the new Miss Universe

LOS ANGELES — "I was born a transwoman because God gave me some reason to lead my life as a person or as an icon to teach, to lead, and to inspire other people to transform themselves and to become the best version of themselves."

In an exclusive virtual interview, Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, Asia's first billionaire transwoman in Thailand and the first woman to own the Miss Universe franchise in its 70-year history, talked more about her life, how she turned the pain to power, her childhood dream of becoming the Oprah Winfrey of Thailand, how she stopped bullying and harassment by being successful, the importance of transformational leadership and the force for good in the new Miss Universe, and what she expects from the candidates of the 72nd Miss Universe which will be held in El Salvador in December this year.

Congratulations on purchasing Miss Universe and being the first woman owner. What was your primary reason for purchasing the Miss Universe franchise?

I always believe that you have to use your personality to serve your true calling. I was born as a transwoman. I was trapped in the wrong body. I knew it since I was five years old. Therefore, I just tried to find a life purpose all the time when I was growing up because I got bullied a lot.

I got sexually harassed by my own teacher, therefore I just had to overcome the obstacles. At the end of the day, I just have to be successful, that's all, to convince people that you cannot bully me anymore by being a public speaker.

I went to the debate shows. I went outside of the box by going out of the country and studying in Sydney, Australia. I came back and I succeeded.

I did succeed in the family business, and I put the company into the stock market. I leased the company in the stock market later on, and I became a Thai billionaire at the age of 37.

I really believe that I am here to become an inspiration to a lot of people that yes you can do things. That's why I would love to have a global platform, which is called the Miss Universe Organization because we achieved so much in Thailand.

Photo courtesy of Miss Universe

GMA is my good business partner for eight years now. We are your exclusive drama broadcaster in Thailand since 2014. You bought so many titles from me, drama series from Thailand broadcast on your GMA Terrestrial Network.

We are also the terrestrial network in Thailand. I set up; I listed the company in the stock market. We are the biggest global broadcaster and also the content distributor in Thailand. Later on, we became the broadcaster in Thailand and we have a lot of commerce companies producing nutrition.

I also own the beverage company, the factory outside Thailand at about four acres. We own Peacock in Thailand, CNBC Thailand. I also own a home shopping network with Hume Di Hong from Korea.

All these are platforms that I own all the time in Thailand and I am a celebrity myself. I have more than 20 million people following me on my social media across the platform, my IG, Facebook, Peacock, Instagram and Twitter. So what's next for me? What's the next level? I always ask myself that.

Miss Universe Organization could be the platform for me to have a voice and also to keep the platform for other women, transwomen who also come on the stage and become the icon to advocate for causes and to lead their life, to teach, to live and to inspire other people also in what they believe in.

You are the eldest of a family of Thai Chinese heritage with parents who used to own a video rental store. Can you please talk more about your childhood and upbringing and how it contributed to who you are today?

I got bullied a lot and until the time that I learned home video is not a business, but actually what is inside the home video is the content, the global content that I saw all the time from Hollywood, India, Hong Kong, China, Korea, Japan, and later on also from the Philippines. I learned a lot that this is a content business. I am in a global business, so I travel all the time. That's why I see your people, GMA executives, all the time. I started to realize that content is very important. Therefore, I'm a content person. I just dedicate myself to the content business.

Photo courtesy of Miss Universe

I also had a wish list when I was young. One of them is to become the Oprah Winfrey of Thailand. Family or not, I just would love to become a talk show host, to become the iconic person on television, and to tell people, inspire people, and to think positively.

When I was young, I was bullied and with all the pain that I had, I turned them into power. I just thank God every day that I was born different and I teach people and I lead people. I inspire people to embrace their differences.

I was born because of that and when I connected the dots, the pain made me stronger and the home video shop made me become a wiser person. I think outside the box because of the global content. Very interesting. You have to think outside the box. Either you read a lot or you see a lot of content from outside your country. Therefore you can see the much bigger scale in terms of the vision that you have for your life.

That's why the home video just gave me a lot of life lessons and wisdom outside the box. Being a transwoman since I was young gave me the strength how to transform myself, overcome all the struggles, and once again, it turned pain into power. That's why I'm so glad that I was born different and I am a woman now, 100% woman; because I had a gender reassignment four years ago. I thank God every day for being a transwoman because it gave me a lot of strength.

You are also the head of the Life Inspired for Transsexual Foundation, which is a charity organization that advocates for transgender rights. What gems of wisdom can you share with women and the LGBTQ members of the community?

I always give scholarships, and education to 10 people, LGBTQ, and women also 10 people per year, and I have been doing this for four years now. So, 40 people already got my scholarship.

In terms of having an education, they can go and pursue a career later on, once they have an education, that is the power to pursue their dreams because they have the bill to pay and also the dream to pursue. I just help them and lift them up. That's why I call it L, I, F, T, or Life Inspired Foundation Thailand.

Education is the most important and I don't forget our LGBTQ members, and that's why I'm here for them all the time. And in my charity called LIFT.

You're also a mother of two. How do you juggle being a businesswoman, and a mother?

That's very interesting. I don't have enough time for my children. I don't have enough time for my love life. I just have to balance more. Right now, I have Miss Universe Organization. I have to look after a lot of women here who are my sisters and also who come all over the whole world, 95 countries every year.

It has been a wonderful life, but I wish I could have more time to spend with my children, Andrew and Angelica, both of them. They're half German, half me, Chinese. I had them before I actually had gender transformation. I did the gender reassignment after they were born. I plan everything.

You also have Jojo Bragais, a Filipino American as your shoe partner and Olivia Quido as your beauty partner. Were you also inspired by their stories of rising from adversity and passion to succeed?

I love them. You know what? I met Jojo in New Orleans for the first time. He's very humble and the shoes are so fantastic, so sexy, so beautiful, so elegant, so feminine. I love them. I love all the designs.

For Olivia, she's like my sister. We travel together to so many places and she's coming to Thailand also. She has been to this room. My living room in Thailand. So she came here quite often and I loved using her skincare products also. She went to New York with me, with R'Bonney recently. I love her because she's a very kind person, very nice personality. You can feel that she does the business from her own heart. She cares about people. That's why it's really worth it. She's a valuable person to know.

In your Instagram post, you mentioned that R'Bonney made the correct final answer mentioning "transformational leadership" and "force for good." Why do you think her answer was significant for you and why do you think R'Bonney is the perfect representative of the Miss Universe?

I love the question. Actually, I am dying to answer this question for a long, long time. I think all the beauty queens from this year onwards have to learn from R'Bonney - the answers and the mindset.

I always give the candidates the guideline, the instruction, the inspiration, the way to answer the question, the concept of the show, the concept of the organization, the platform, the vision, and the mission of the Miss Universe.

I always say this "transformational leadership" because I'm a transwoman and I just inspire people. I would love to inspire people. That is my life purpose, to overcome obstacles. That's why I said to everyone, please go and study what it means to be a "transformational leader" or have the leadership in you to be able to transform the obstacle, to transform all the pain into wisdom, and fight for it.

Never giving up force for good is a concept that I use in my life; and the crown. This Mouawad-made crown is the most expensive crown in history at about $6 million US dollars.

You have the will, and the courage to change yourself, to transform yourself, to be better, to be the best version of yourself. I've written down everything on my social media and I gave a lot of interviews outside the country, also in Thailand, to all the press. This is how I look forward to having the Miss Universe, the new Miss Universe.

Photo courtesy of Miss Universe

R'Bonney just listened to me, somehow, and she just complied. She just answered. She just did the right thing at the right moment. I think her answer was excellent. She exhibited leadership in her, that she listened to the mission and the vision of the organization, and she knows how to carry forward by having the courage, to talk, answer, and confirm herself in front of one billion people watching the final competition that night.

I love it and I just would love to give this kind of inspiration or example that she exhibited herself so well.

In the next competition in El Salvador, you should have the energy. You are representing your own country. You need to become the leader of your own country, representing your own culture, your own nation on the stage of Miss Universe and keep talking, keep exhibiting yourself and showing what kind of transformational leadership campaign you have, what kind of boss you are.

In the case of R'Bonney, she did sustainable fashion design. And she did it for a long time, not just having it before the show or just to have something to talk about with the judges.

She's so clever at the age of 28 years old, and she's coming here in two days actually in Thailand.

You obviously raised the bar for all beauty pageants and all the contestants and you also changed some rules that you're accepting married women or women who had children. Did you raise the age limit? What other changes did you make?

Transwomen, married women, pregnant women. It does not matter as long as you're not more than 28 years old. This is a rule that can lift the bar, can lift the standard. We have to promote gender equality and also social inclusion. Why not have them? As long as they can keep themselves beautiful, they are beautifully confident, they have an impact on the world and they can represent the culture of their own nation so well.

As long as you are not more than 28, just come over. It doesn't mean you will become the winner. We have the judges so you can enter the competition, but it doesn't mean that we going to guarantee that you win.

We allow them to come, we permit them to come, and we encourage them to come because we would love to inspire the concept or promote the campaign. We welcome social inclusion; and gender equality. But it doesn't mean you are given easy access to become the winner.

We are going to repeat the same message in El Salvador. What does it mean by being a transformational leader? What does it mean to you and what is your force for good? Very simple. Right now, you really need to start or to collect your own activities, charity, what you call advocacy, whatever, that you have to exhibit yourself that you are truly a leader in your own community, in your own country.

I'm looking for beauty and brains at the same time, and also impact. Miss Universe stands for beauty, culture, and impact. If you can do these three, you will be excellent. So, encourage everyone to prepare themselves right now for El Salvador. And think, what kind of impact can you make on the world?

And if you had a superpower, what would it be and why?

I would love everyone to understand the LGBTQ community better without explaining and we don't want to see the bully again. That is my superpower. I would love to wipe out all the bullies.

I don't want them to verbally, or physically take advantage of us. We would love to be proud in our own community, LGBTQ, not just being T, okay, but all sisters, and brothers, every one of us is different. So, I just would love to have everyone in the world, if I had a superpower, make them understand and also embrace our differences.

—MGP, GMA Integrated News