US court: Miss United States can exclude transgender contestants

SAN FRANCISCO, California: A U.S. appeals court has ruled that beauty pageant operator Miss United States of America cannot be forced to allow transgender women to compete in their beauty contests, as this would interfere with its right to express "the ideal vision of American womanhood."

In a 2-1 decision, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a lawsuit by transgender activist Anita