Miss Myanmar Swe Zin Htet was among the 90 women competing to become Miss Universe 2019.

Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa was crowned Miss Universe 2019 on Sunday.

While Htet didn't reach the top 20, she still shattered barriers by becoming the pageant's first openly gay contestant.

Also a singer and actress, Htet came out publicly on the blog Missology on November 29. Myanmar is also called Burma.

“I have that platform that, if I say that I'm a lesbian, it will have a big impact on the LGBTQ community back in Burma,” she told PEOPLE.

“The difficult thing is that [in] Burma, LGBTQ people are not accepted, they are looked down on by other people and are being discriminated against,” Htet said.

Htet, 21, said that she realized that she was gay at around 15 or 16. She's been in a three-year relationship with Burmese singer Gae Gae.