Transgender queen crowned in Thailand as coronavirus limits crowd

Mexico's Valentina Fluchaire receives crown at the final show of the Miss International Queen 2020 transgender beauty pageant in Pattaya, Thailand March 7, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

PATTAYA (Reuters) - After temperature checks for contestants and with a smaller crowd than last year because of coronavirus fears, Mexico's Valentina Fluchaire was crowned in Thailand as winner of what is billed as the world's biggest transgender pageant on Saturday.

Although Miss International Queen 2020 went ahead, unlike many events cancelled around the world since the coronavirus outbreak emerged in China, the crowd was markedly smaller than in previous years, with many empty seats.