Kylan Wenzel, the first transgender person to compete in a Miss California pageant, expressed her excitement on Anderson Live.
The 26-year-old Wenzel discussed being Miss USA's first transgender contestant after the pageant changed its rules.
Kylan Arianna Wenzel was born on October 14, 1986 in Daegu, South Korea. She was born to a German-American father, and a South Korean mother. She has a twin brother, and was primarily raised by her father and step-mother.
At the age of 2, her family was stationed at Clark Air Base, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. In June of 1991 the air force base was evacuated when the volcano, Mount Pinatubo erupted. She arrived in the United States for the very first time that summer.
Being in a military family she has lived in many states and countries. Upon graduating high school, she accepted admission to the University of Washington in Seattle despite her heart being set on an education in London.
In 2009 she moved to California to pursue a career in entertainment.
She had her life changing surgery in August of 2012. She competed in the Miss California USA 2013 pageant in January 2013 as the first transgender woman in the United States to compete for a state title. She did not make the final Top 20. She is honored to have been a pioneer in an industry she describes as being a "cookie cutter".
Kylan has appeared on Anderson Cooper Live and The Ricki Lake Show. She hopes to make many more TV appearances and eventually a career in television. She is continuing her education with intentions to transfer to the University of California in Los Angeles.
