Maki Gingoyon, also known as Maki Eve Mercedes, entered the world of beauty pageants almost by accident. Being a beauty queen had never been her childhood dream, yet in 2010, at a time when she was looking for a way to support herself and her transition, pageants opened an unexpected door. What began with small village competitions gradually carried her to major transgender pageants in Cebu and Bohol, where she collected titles and discovered something deeper than the glamour of a crown. Her defining moment came at Queen of Cebu 2010. Among 21 candidates and in front of more than a thousand spectators, Maki stepped onto the stage already feeling victorious. With former Miss Universe Margie Moran among the judges, she gave the performance her all, eventually taking the crown. For Maki, however, the most powerful thought at that moment was not the applause or the title, but her mother, who had been too afraid to watch from the audience. Her mother’s eventual acceptance became one of the most meaningful parts of her journey. By 2013, Maki had reached the national television stage as one of the finalists of Super Sireyna, a landmark transgender beauty competition broadcast as part of a popular Philippine noontime show. She saw the experience as much more than a contest. It gave her an opportunity to speak to the Filipino public about transgender women, their abilities, and their place in the community.
Away from the pageant stage, Maki’s life has been shaped by resilience, independence, creativity, and love. She studied psychology before family circumstances led her to leave college and work in a call center, a job that helped her support herself and her transition. She also discovered a passion for theater, performing since high school and taking on Calpernia Addams’s Vagina Monologue. Alongside her boyfriend, she became involved in transgender dating websites, seeing the work as a personal advocacy and a way to create decent spaces for transgender women. Maki speaks openly about the insecurities that can accompany being a transgender woman, but she also understands the power of confidence, communication, and the ability to speak one’s mind. Her beauty queen experience taught her that a crown can carry responsibility: the responsibility to inspire, encourage, and challenge others to become the best versions of themselves. For Maki, beauty is ultimately about far more than appearance. It is about finding the courage to stand on a stage, discovering one’s voice, embracing love, and using that voice to make a difference. And that journey, from an unexpected pageant contestant to a woman determined to inspire her community, gives us plenty to ask her about.
