Los Angeles (CNN) -- It was a public relations battle featuring two well-known masters of the media, a beauty queen, and a controversial question: Should someone born a man be allowed to compete in the Miss Universe pageant? On the East Coast was Donald Trump, the New York business tycoon whose fortune and brand is boosted by his ability to navigate storms of controversy. On the West Coast was Gloria Allred, a Beverly Hills lawyer legendary for her ability to draw hordes of cameras to her law office to capture her outrage over alleged injustices done to her clients. The client is Jenna Talackova, a 23-year-old, 6-foot-1-inch blond Canadian, who underwent sexual reassignment surgery four years ago.
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"She should be allowed to enter the pageant," Miss Universe owner Donald Trump says
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Contestant's lawyer: "We want this rule eliminated"
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"I am a woman," contestant Jenna Talackova says
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Officials previously disqualifed the transgender woman from Miss Canada Universe
Allred didn't know it then, but Trump gave a clearer statement to CNN in @placeholder two hours earlier.