Angelica Ross
Angelica has indeed been acting since 2016, even though she’s a successful business woman and a transgender rights activist. She founded TransTech Social Enterprises, a business that hires transgender people in the technology sector, after having to learn programming skills on her own. She stated, “What I’ve learned about being trans in transition is just that sometimes good things don’t happen when you try to rush things. Just as a young girl grows into a young woman, you know, we transition; we grow into our bodies the same way.”
Angelica Ross
Isis King
Isis created history in the United States by being the first openly transgender model to represent the American Apparel brand. She is regarded as one of the most well-known transgender women in the world by the fashion industry. She utilizes her channel to try to bring attention to the problem. She stated specifically that the more young transgender individuals we can get off the sidewalks and into proper housing and education, the more leaders of tomorrow and creative spirits we will have.
Isis King
Andreja Pejić
When she began her career in the early 1990s, Andreja was generally acknowledged as the world’s first fully androgynous supermodel. She made history earlier this year when she became the first transgender woman to grace the cover of GQ magazine. She stated, in terms of transgender women’s relationships with beauty, “All women have a complicated relationship to beauty, but as a transgender woman it’s a bit more complicated. There’s a lot of pressure to appear feminine. When I was younger, I was most insecure about my size, my angular features, my feet, my hands. At the end of the day, it’s about being comfortable in your own skin, and being able to walk down the street and not have people question your gender—and, for me, being perceived as a woman.”
Andreja Pejić
Alexandra Billings
Alexandra created history as the 2nd openly transgender person to play a transgender character on mainstream tv when she landed the role of Donna in Romy and Michele: In the Beginning. In addition to her acting career, she is a teacher, a singer, and an activist. Alexandra stated in an interview with Alexandra Tempus of Jezebel that “We have got to break out of the container of ignorance. And I don’t mean that in a gender-specific way, I mean that in a generalized way. We have got to realize that we are all students of the human experience. And if we do not start learning from each other and really listening and receiving the gift from the person across from us, we are lost.”
Alexandra Billings
Hunter Schafer
Hunter not only is a well-known actress and model, but she is also a vocal supporter of LGBTQ equality and rights. The online magazine Queerty named her to its list of 50 heroes who were “leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people” when the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade was celebrated in June 2020. When the New York Times decided to honor her, she was named to their Next list of “100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future” in 2021.
Hunter Schafer
Nicole Maines
Nicole also works as a transgender rights activist in addition to her acting career. She and her family were the ones who took the Doe v. Regional School Unit 26 case to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court as teenagers, claiming that her school district had made a mistake by denying her access to the girl’s restroom solely because of her gender identity and expression. She said, “When we have a trans woman playing a trans woman, then you see, ‘Oh wait, this is what trans really is. This is what it looks like: a person.’ That sends a message to trans kids that they are valid in their identities that they are allowed to exist.
Nicole Maines
Josie Totah
Josie began her acting career at a young age, and her first roles were as a male character. In 2016, her performance as Michael Lovette in Back in the Game earned her the distinction of being named one of Variety’s Sundance Breakout Stars of the Year. It was in August 2018 that she came out as a transgender woman in an article she published in Time magazine. She wrote in an article, “In the past, I’ve halfway corrected people by telling them I identify as LGBTQ. I wasn’t ready to be more specific. I was afraid I wouldn’t be accepted, that I would be embarrassed, that the fans who knew me from the time when I acted in a Disney show would be confused. But I realized over the past few years that hiding my true self is not healthy. I know now, more than ever, that I’m finally ready to take this step toward becoming myself. I’m ready to be free.”
Josie Totah
Janet Mock
Janet is best known for her work in front of the camera as a director, producer, and author, but she also writes. The FX series Pose marks her debut as the first trans woman of color hired as a writer on a network television series. In 2013, she was named to Out magazine’s annual list of the “most compelling people of the year.” 2014 saw her named to The Advocate’s annual “40 Under 40” list, and then to their “50 Most Influential LGBT People in Media” list, both of which were published the following year.
Janet Mock
Caroline Cossey
Caroline was brought into the world with a variant of Klinefelter’s syndrome, which means that she was born with the XXXY genotype rather than the XY chromosome. As a result, when she reached puberty, she naturally assumed a female appearance. She, on the other hand, kept her transsexuality a secret for a long time, finally acknowledging it in 1982 with her first memoir, I Am a Woman. In 1991, she was the world’s first transgender woman to appear in a Playboy advertisement.
Caroline Cossey
Valentijn de Hingh
As the very first transgender woman to be depicted by the international modeling agency IMG Models, Valentijn has made history in the industry. In 2012, she was awarded the Elle Personal Style Award for her personal style. Additionally, she works as a columnist and a DJ, in addition to being a model. Her transition was documented in the Valentijn series, which was actually a documentary series in which she was followed throughout her transition.
Valentijn De Hingh
Hari Nef
As the world’s first openly transgender female to be signed by the international modeling agency IMG Models, Hari has established herself as a trailblazer. She was the very first publicly transwoman to actually show up on the cover of a major commercial British magazine, in this case, Elle magazine, a distinction she holds to this day. She said, “That was one of the most powerful experiences. Finding my new voice and my new body and a new set of roles to play, which felt so much more authentic. I always joke that I’m a better actress than I am a male actor.”
Hari Nef
Candis Cayne
With her role in Dirty Sexy Money, Candis made history as the first transgender actress to portray a regularly occurring transgender character in a prime-time television series. She is also a performance artist, in addition to her work as an actress. Furthermore, she was appointed global creative director of MOOVZ, an LGBT social networking site, in 2015. She said, “In the first couple of years when you’re transitioning you don’t really fit into any gender, because you’re changing over. You have to start getting electrolysis before you even start your therapy. But I think all the weird looks help to give you conviction in who you really are.”
Candis Cayne
Jazz Jennings
Besides being a media personality, Jazz is a YouTube personality, a spokesmodel, and a campaigner for LGBT rights and equality. She is one of the most visible transgender-identifying people in the public eye because she is so young. In 2007, she co-founded the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation, which aims to provide assistance to transgender children and youth. Purple Rainbow Tails, a company that designs rubber mermaid tails to raise funds for transgender children, was founded by her the following year in 2013.
Jazz Jennings
Leyna Bloom
Leyna is a multi-talented actress, model, dancer, and social activist. The magazine Vogue India published an article about her as the first openly transgender woman of color to be featured in the magazine. During the Cannes Film Festival, she was recognized for her performance in Port Authority, which earned her the distinction of being the first transgender woman of color to appear in the lead role of any feature film. In 2021, she also made history by becoming the first trans woman to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue, which was published in the same year.
Leyna Bloom
Kataluna Enriquez
A healthcare administrator with a specialization in LGBTQ+ care, Kataluna is also a fashion designer and the founder of the clothing line KatalunaKouture. In fact, she is the very first openly transgender female to compete in a Miss USA pageant in over a decade. If she wins the Miss USA pageant in November 2021, she will become only the second openly transgender woman to compete in the Miss Universe pageant in the history of the organization.
Kataluna Enriquez
Indya Moore
According to her agent, William Morris Endeavor, she is the first transgender celebrity to sign a contract with the company. In 2019, she made history by becoming the first transgender person to show up on the cover of Elle magazine’s American edition. During the 50th anniversary celebration of the first LGBTQ Pride parade in 2020, the online magazine Queerty decided to name her to its list of 50 heroes who are “leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people,” according to the publication.
Indya Moore
Valentina Sampaio
Valentina made history by becoming the first transgender Victoria’s Secret model in 2019. She made history by becoming the first openly transgender model to appear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2020. She is not only the first transgender model to show up on the cover of Vogue Paris, but she has also appeared on the covers of Vogue Brazil and Vogue Germany, among other publications.
Valentina Sampaio
Jamie Clayton
Jamie is not only a well-established actress, but she is also a skilled make-up artist. She was a part of the first season of the VH1 makeover show TRANSform Me, which aired in 2008. In 2011, she was named to Out magazine’s annual “Out 100” list, which recognizes the most influential people in the LGBTQ community. She said, “I think what people need to realize is that, with trans people, we’re like everybody else. No group of people is the same. All women are not the same, all men are not the same, all children are not the same. It’s the same thing with trans people – we’re all so different, we have different goals, different dreams, and different aspirations.”
Jamie Clayton
Laverne Cox
As an actress, Laverne is the very first transgender person to be shortlisted for a Primetime Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She was the first trans woman to be featured on the cover of Time magazine in 2014, and she was the first transgender person to be featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine’s South African edition the following year. She is also the first trans woman to have a wax figure of herself created at the Madame Tussauds Museum in London, which opened in 2012.
Laverne Cox
Caitlyn Jenner
Caitlyn Jenner is widely considered to be the most well-known transgender woman in the world. Caitlyn Jenner, who previously graced the cover of Playgirl, is now universally acknowledged as the first transwoman to appear on the cover of Vanity Fair. She said, “I’m so happy after such a long struggle to be living my true self. Welcome to the world, Caitlyn. Can’t wait for you to get to know her/me.”
Caitlyn Jenner