When Nathally Becker won runner-up for the Brazilian beauty pageant, Miss Gay Mato Grosso 2023, her husband ran onto the stage and took the crown from the first-place winner, Emannuelly Belini.
Just as Belini was about to be crowned, he snatched her crown in a rage. The husband then grabbed his wife, but let her go to get the crown off the floor just to throw it again. He was escorted off stage by security while the other contestants went to comfort the Belini.
Becker was representing the city of Cuiabá and Belini was representing the municipality of Várzea Grande. The pageant was for the LGBTQ community.
A statement was released by the event about the incident. They stated that they disapprove of Becker’s husband’s actions and emphasized that Belini was the winner of the pageant. Additionally, they declared that they plan of taking legal action against her husband in the future.
There have been other incidents with similar beauty pageants. One was the New York City Miss Sri Lanka pageant, which took place in October 2022, where a fight broke out at the post-party. The altercation follows another fight that happened in 2021 at a pageant in Sri Lanka. The winner of the pageant hijacked the crown of her rival stating that she believed her rival should be disqualified due to her divorce.
The coordinator of the pageant, Malone Haenisch, issued a statement saying, “We reiterate our best wishes and wish you a glamorous reign, and that your activities may reflect the voice and desires of the LGBTQIAP+ community.”
