Mesa resident Ricki Quintero gazes proudly at two Native American dresses in her apartment.

One is white with turquoise embroidery, and the other is a sunny yellow. Both are made of soft deerskin, embellished with silver ornaments and finished with long, meticulously cut tassels.

These dresses are meaningful to the 30-year-old member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe. Not only did she make them, but she wore them when she won the 2007 Miss Indian Transgender Arizona Pageant, a title she has held for two years.

On Sunday, Quintero will attend the third biennial Miss Indian Transgender Arizona Pageant at the intimate Cruisin' 7th Cocktail Lounge, a gay bar in central Phoenix, to pass the title on to this year's winner.

The event started in 2005, and each winner reigns for two years. A transgender person is one who identifies and lives as a member of the opposite sex.

Quintero was born male and began living as a woman during college.

"Before I ran for the competition, I was more hushed about who I was," said Quintero, a social worker. "The pageant gave me more confidence, and now I have a stronger understanding of being transgender."

"I want younger girls, especially those who are coming to the city from rural reservations, to have the support out here," she said. "Some think they have to do drugs or become an escort to survive, but we want to be those positive role models to show them they don't have to do those things."

The Miss Indian Transgender Arizona Pageant is one of several for those in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, including Miss Gay Arizona and Miss Phoenix Gay Pride, but it's the only one that highlights Native American culture.

The four contestants competing Sunday, all Navajo, are encouraged to express their identities as members of tribes and as women. They will perform a "modern" and a tribal talent, as well as model eveningwear and answer questions.

Pageant director Trudie Jackson says the event helps break down stereotypes about transgender individuals and shows pride in Native American customs.

"The pageant is to help engage Native American transgendered individuals in the importance of traditional values and provide role models within the Native American GLBT community," said Jackson, who is Navajo and works as a health educator in the Valley.

The pageant is part of a tradition of many North American tribes respecting GLBT members, often called "two spirits." For more than two decades, there have been two-spirit gatherings throughout Canada and America. Those with two spirits were, and in some communities still are, seen as having a special understanding of what it's like to live as a man and a woman.

Jackson said the pageant is a way to dispel preconceived notions about transgender individuals, that they don't all "engage in high-risk behaviors, are unable to seek employment and abuse substances."

Although there are only four contestants so far, the pageant has nine sponsors, including the Navajo Times, Phoenix Pride and the Fort McDowell Resort Casino.