70 Celebrities Who are Actually Transgender People

Laverne Cox is a four time Emmy-nominated actress, Emmy winning documentary film producer and a prominent equal rights advocate. Laverne's role of Sophia Burset in the critically acclaimed Netflix original series "Orange is The New Black" brought her to the attention of diverse audiences all over the world. This role led to Laverne becoming the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for a Primetime acting Emmy.

An artist and an advocate with an empowering message of moving beyond gender expectations to live more authentically, Laverne is the first openly transgender person to appear on the covers of TIME Magazine, Cosmopolitan magazine, British Vogue and Essence magazines among others. She was named one of Glamour magazine's 2014 Women of the Year. Laverne also proudly holds two SAG Awards winning them with her Orange Is The New Black cast mates.

Laverne's Emmy winning documentary "Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word" helped lead her to Executive Producing two powerful documentaries. Available on Netflix, "Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen" is an unprecedented, groundbreaking look at the depiction of transgender characters throughout the history of film and TV and "Free CeCe" which tells the story of CeCe McDonald, a transgender woman who was controversially sentenced to 41 months in a men's prison for second degree manslaughter after defending herself against a racist and transphobic attack. The documentary focuses on McDonald's case, her experiences while incarcerated and the larger implications of her case for the transgender community and for communities of color at large.

Upcoming in 2024 : Clean Slate a Laverne Cox Production in Collaboration with Norman Lear's Act III Productions, Sony Television Studios & Amazon Prime.

Erika Ervin, known professionally as Amazon Eve, tours the world modeling and making public appearances. At 6'8" without heels, Amazon Eve has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest model in the world in 2011. She grew up in a small town in central California and was discovered in 2009 by the editor of Zoo Weekly while in Australia. Amazon Eve is best known for her roles in "Hemlock Grove" and "American Horror Story: Freak Show", and stars in the films "Chimera Strain" and "Falling South".

Chaz Salvatore Bono was born on March 4, 1969 in Los Angeles, California to Cher & Sonny Bono. He is an American character actor & activist and best known for his work on American Horror Story and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

An acclaimed author, Bono has written three books, including NY Times Best Sellers, Family Outing 1998, and Transition published by Dutton in 2011, a candid account of a forty-year struggle to match his gender identity.

Adding to his multiple hyphenated talents, he has shared his life and experiences in, and produced the three-time Emmy nominated documentary, "Becoming Chaz."

Bono has a rich history of advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, having worked for two national LGBTQ+ organizations, and as public speaker on college campuses and at events around the world. He continues to be a strong voice the for LGBTQ+ community, and is a passionate champion of equality for all Americans, especially those discriminated against and targeted because of race, religion, sex, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

In 2012 Bono decided to pursue his lifelong dream of a career as a working actor. He's guest stared in the films Dirty, Reborn, Three From Hell, and Reboot Camp. Bono has also guest stared on multiple episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful, Where the Bears Are, American Horror Story Roanoke, American Horror Story Cult, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Amanda Lepore was born on 21 November 1967 in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild! (2008), The Zanctuary (2016) and Another Gay Movie (2006).

Gigi Gorgeous is a YouTube star, transgender activist, author, television personality, actress, model and LGBTQ icon. She has nearly 8 million followers across her social platforms and almost half a billion views on her popular YouTube channel. Born Gregory Lazzarato and raised outside Toronto, Canada, Gigi was a nationally ranked diving champion. In 2008, Gigi's rise to stardom began when she created her YouTube channel, posting beauty, fashion and makeup tutorial videos as a Toronto high school student, while also encouraging her viewers to express themselves in the face of bullies and harassment. At the age of 19 she came out on her YouTube channel, identifying as a gay male. In 2013, she announced that she was a transgender woman. She legally changed her name to Gigi Loren Lazzarato in 2014, a year in which she documented her transition on her channel.

In January 2017, her feature-length documentary "This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous", premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film chronicles Gigi's life and transition and was directed by two-time Oscar winner Barbara Kopple. The film was released in limited theatres and lives on YouTube Red (now YouTube Premium) for SVOD. "This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous" won the Streamy Award for Best Feature and the Critics' Choice Documentary Award for Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary in 2017. It was nominated for The MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Documentary and the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary. Last year Gigi was named one of Time Magazine's "25 Most Influential People on the Internet", one of "Forbes 30 Under 30" and won YouTuber of the Year at the Shorty Awards. She was awarded the LogoTV Trailblazing Social Creator Award in 2014 for her advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ youth, and The Streamy Award for Best Beauty Channel the following year.

On April 2nd, 2019, Gigi will release her hilariously candid memoir "He Said, She Said: Lessons, Stories and Mistakes from My Transgender Journey" with Harmony Books, a division of Penguin Random House. Featuring never before seen photos, personal stories, and shockingly raw and vulnerable moments of her transition, "He Said, She Said" gives readers an opportunity to meet Gregory... the once awkward, teenage boy who was bound for the Olympics before being thrust into the spotlight with her decision to embrace her true self. Gigi expertly weaves humor into her very personal narrative and reminds us of who she really is-and has always been-with anecdotes, life lessons, and of course, Gigi-isms.

Gigi has appeared in PopTV's "Nightcap", "Me and My Grandma" alongside TV legend Rhea Perlman, and on Project Runway All Stars, E!'s Good Work, Trailblazers, MTV Music Video Awards, GLSEN Respect Awards, amongst others. As a model she has appeared on the covers of The Advocate and FASHION, and has been featured in spreads for Paper, Galore, Kode, Refinery29, and Out. She serves as a frequent muse of August Getty Atelier and has modeled for Red Dress Collection for Macy's, Nicopanda for MAC, and for Christian Siriano's newest perfume, People Are People. She hosted a series alongside friend Kylie Jenner for the "Kylie" app and starred in Adam Lambert's music video "Another Lonely Night." Gigi has worked with top brands such as Crest, Pantene, Too Faced, MAC, and L'Oreal. She also had a year-long endorsement deal with Revlon in 2017.

In October 2018, Gigi partnered with CRUSHXO and the Keep A Breast Foundation to create a new lipstick in honor of her mother, who she lost as a teenager to breast cancer. The lipstick is named after her mother, Judy, and ten percent of proceeds from the product during Breast Cancer Awareness Month benefit The Keep A Breast Foundation, an organization that raises awareness and offers education around breast cancer.

Recently, Gigi has spoken on panels for The UN Foundation Celebrating 70 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The Teen Vogue Summit on Limitless Beauty, The Beverly Center's Everyone Welcome Event on Celebrating Inclusion & Cultural Shifts, and The Chelsea Film Festival 2nd Annual Women in Power Benefit. She has also participated in the Global Summit on Mental Health Culture Change and the LA LGBT Center Vanguard Awards.

In 2016, Gigi was denied entry into Dubai for being a transgender woman and was released after spending over five hours in detainment at the Dubai International Airport. Gigi responded to the incident by calling for equality and legal protections for LGBTQ people. Gigi works closely with several LGBTQ organizations including GLAAD, LA LGBT Center and Children's Hospital of LA Transyouth Program. Her Halloween 2017 event for the Transyouth Program raised $50K.

In March 2018, Gigi and girlfriend Nats Getty announced their engagement. Gigi and Nats reside in Los Angeles, California.

Carmen Carrera is a trailblazer, performing artist, actress and fashion Muze. Getting her start on RuPauls Drag Race as a drag performer before transitioning into the woman she is today, she became the first openly trans model to be signed to the prestigious modeling agency, Elite Model Management of New York City and became the first model in history to be petitioned by the public to walk the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. She made her television acting debut along side Gina Rodriguez on the CW's hit show, Jane the Virgin, and made her silver screen debut alongside Meryl Streep in Jonathan Demme's Ricki & The Flash. Since then she's been an outspoken activist for trans inclusivity and body diversity being featured in the pages of Vogue, W Magazine, Glamour Magazine, Time Magazine, and Elle Magazine to name a few. Most recently she has started her own digital marketing agency called CC3 Entertainment which focuses on creating opportunities for LGBTQ influencers in the digital space. She continues to be an ally for women's issues and an inspirational for all of us to be who we truly are.

Lana Wachowski and her sister Lilly Wachowski, also known as the Wachowskis, are the duo behind such ground-breaking movies as The Matrix (1999) and Cloud Atlas (2012). Born to mother Lynne, a nurse, and father Ron, a businessman of Polish descent, Wachowski grew up in Chicago and formed a tight creative relationship with her sister Lilly. After the siblings dropped out of college, they started a construction business and wrote screenplays. Their 1995 script, Assassins (1995), was made into a movie, leading to a Warner Bros contract. After that time, the Wachowskis devoted themselves to their movie careers. In 2012, during interviews for Cloud Atlas and in her acceptance speech for the Human Rights Campaign's Visibility Award, Lana spoke about her experience of being a transgender woman, sacrificing her much cherished anonymity out of a sense of responsibility. Lana is known to be extremely well-read, loves comic books and exploring ideas of imaginary worlds, and was inspired by Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) in creating Cloud Atlas.

Director, writer, and producer Lilly Wachowski was born in 1967 in Chicago, the daughter of Lynne, a nurse and painter, and Ron, a businessman. Lilly was educated at Kellogg Elementary School in Chicago, before moving on to Whitney M. Young High School. After graduating from high school, she attended Emerson College in Boston but dropped out.

Lilly teamed up with her older sibling, Lana Wachowski, and began working on films. Their first script was optioned and formed the basis for the film Assassins (1995). The Wachowskis went on to make their directorial debut with the self-written Bound (1996), which was well-received. They followed this with the smash hit The Matrix (1999) and went on to produce two successful sequels, The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003).

Other projects include scripting and producing the cult hit V for Vendetta (2005), a live-action version of a Japanese anime series; Speed Racer (2008); Cloud Atlas (2012); and the ambitious epic Jupiter Ascending (2015).

Trace Lysette is an actress and producer best known for her recurring role as Shea in all 5 seasons of Amazon's critically acclaimed series Transparent and for the feature film Hustlers alongside Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B and Constance Wu.

She has also guest starred and recurred in other productions such as the drama series Midnight Texas based on the trilogy of the same name by U.S. writer Charlaine Harris, the choral series POSE, and Derek Waters' sketch comedy Drunk History. She also took part in Tarell Alvin McCraney's coming-of-age drama series David Makes Man, and Martin Gero's Quantum Leap reboot among others.

She most recently played the title role in Monica, opposite academy award nominees Patricia Clarkson and Adriana Barraza in Andrea Pallaoro's latest film which premiered at Venice Film Festival and received an eleven and a half minute standing ovation.

Caitlyn Marie Jenner was born William Bruce Jenner on October 28, 1949 in Mount Kisco, New York and raised in Sleepy Hollow, New York to Esther Jenner & William Jenner. Jenner played college football for the Graceland Yellowjackets before incurring a knee injury that required surgery. Convinced by Olympic decathlete Jack Parker's coach, L.D. Weldon, to try the decathlon, Jenner had a six-year decathlon career, culminating in winning the men's decathlon event at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, setting a third successive world record and gaining fame as "an all-American hero". Given the unofficial title of "world's greatest athlete", Jenner established a career in television, film, writing, auto racing, business, and as a Playgirl cover model.

Jenner has six children with three successive wives-Chrystie Crownover, Linda Thompson, and Kris Jenner-and from 2007 to 2021 appeared on the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians with Kris, their daughters Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and Kris's other children Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian.

Jenner publicly came out as a trans woman in April 2015, announcing her new name in July. From 2015 to 2016, she starred in the reality television series I Am Cait, which focused on her gender transition. She has been called the most famous transgender woman in the world. Jenner is a transgender rights activist, although her views on transgender issues have been criticized by many other trans and LGBTQ+ activists.

A member of the Republican Party, she ran as a replacement candidate in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election. The recall failed, and she only received 1% of the vote, finishing in 13th place among the candidates running to replace governor Gavin Newsom. 6 months after the election, Jenner was hired by Fox News as an on-air contributor.

Alexis Arquette (born Robert Arquette) (death: September 11, 2016) was an American actress. Arquette was born in Los Angeles, the fourth of five children of Lewis Arquette, an actor and director, and Brenda Olivia "Mardi" (Nowak), a Jewish actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher, and therapist. Lewis's family's surname was originally "Arcouet"; Lewis's father was comedian Cliff Arquette, who went by the stage name of Charley Weaver. Arquette was distantly related to American explorer Meriwether Lewis. Actors Rosanna, Richmond, Patricia, and David Arquette are her siblings.

Isis King, an American actress, model and activist, is one of this generation's most influential transgender women. She rose to fame as the first woman of transgender experience to compete on both the 11th and 17th (All-Star) cycle of America's Next Top Model while living in New York in the Ali Forney Center for LGBTQ homeless youth.

As an actress, King has played pivotal roles in the Emmy award-winning Netflix series When They See Us and on hit shows such as L-Word: Generation Q, Equal, Good Trouble, The Bold and The Beautiful and Shameless. As a model, King has graced the covers of LGBTQ and mainstream magazines and has slayed the runway for many notable fashion designers, including Fenty by Rihanna, Gabrielle Union, Christian Cowan and Betsey Johnson.

King is an ambassador of the human spirit and believes in the importance of following your heart. She travels the country speaking to young adults at colleges and universities about self-love and living in the truth of your existence.

Jazz Jennings was born on 6 October 2000 in Florida, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Mean Girls (2024), Dangling Hope (2017) and Painting Leah (2016).

Candis was born in Maui, Hawaii. Candis Cayne has become one of the United States' most popular and sought-after transgender actresses. Candis first made a name for herself at the famed NYC gay hot-spot "Boy Bar", where her performances drew raves. A classically trained dancer, Candis has thrilled audiences from coast-to-coast with her amazing gift for dance, choreography and glamour.

Candis can be seen in the hit ABC series Dirty Sexy Money where she played actor Billy Baldwin's (Patrick) transgender love interest Carmelita. Candis was the first transgender actress to have a recurring role on a prime-time series. Recently, Candis has had guest-starring spots in various shows and a recurring role in The Magicians. Also, check out the 2020 Netflix documentary "Disclosure" for a more in-depth understanding of transgender representation in media and society where Candis speaks candidly about her experiences as a transgender actress.

Jamie Clayton's big break was playing Kyla on season three of the hit HBO series Hung alongside Thomas Jane. After her multi-episode arc on Hung, Jamie joined actors Mary Lynn Rajskub and Hank Harris as a lead in the Emmy winning digital series, Dirty Work, playing crime scene cleanup maven Michelle. In 2014, Jamie booked the series regular role of Nomi Marks, the San Francisco based hacker, in the Netflix Original Series, Sense8. The show became a critical darling and an international success touching on topics not normally emphasized in the Sci-Fi genre such as politics and religion. The series ran for two full seasons and ended with a 2½ hour finale that premiered on Netflix on June 8th, 2018. Jamie had a six episode arc on season 3 of Designated Survivor which premiered June 7th, 2019 on Netflix. Jamie's big screen debut was in Nicolas Winding Refn's, The Neon Demon. She then played alongside Michael Fassbender in Thomas Alfredson's The Snowman. She also stars in the The Chain, opposite Madeline Zima and John Patrick Amedori.

Our Lady J is an Emmy-nominated writer and producer, best-known for her writing on Pose, Transparent, and American Horror Story. Before Lady J's career in television, she toured the world performing as a singer/songwriter, as well as a collaborative pianist and musical director for pop, theatre, and classical music (Sia, American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, among others). Our Lady J holds the honor of being the first out trans woman to perform at Carnegie Hall, as well as the first out trans writer to be hired in a television writers room. She has received two Peabody Awards, three American Film Institute awards, three Writers Guild Award nominations and two NAACP Image Award nominations. As a producer, her shows have garnered a combined total of 48 Emmy nominations, 12 Emmy wins, 13 Golden Globe nominations, 3 Golden Globe wins, 20 Critics' Choice nominations, and 3 Critics' Choice wins, among others.

Stonewall Uprising warrior, Andy Warhol model, and the Mayor of Christopher Street - pioneering gay rights activist, AIDS activist and drag mother Marsha P. Johnson was both enigmatic and unforgettable.

Multiple documentaries have been made about Johnson, featuring interviews with family and friends, along with what archival footage of Johnson exists - at protests for gay rights, memorials for friends who've died from AIDS and gaybashing, along with Johnson's stage performances with drag troupe Hot Peaches.

The best way to know Marsha is through the documentaries where Marsha can be listened to on Marsha's own terms. Many have tried to use Marsha to various ends in fictitious works. But thankfully, Marsha sat for several interviews. Seek these documentaries out and learn the truth for yourself.

Thomas Beatie was born in 1974 in Hawaii, USA. He is an actor, known for Oprah: Where Are They Now? (2012), Secret Story (2007) and Betrayed (2016). He has been married to Amber Beatie since 27 February 2016. They have one child. He was previously married to Nancy Beatie.

Cassandra Cass is known for Tenderloin (2009), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) and What's the T? (2012).

Describing Yasmine Petty as a Model, Actress, Muse, Photographer, Entrepreneur, and Icon Barely scrapes the surface.

She may look like a living doll on the outside, but beneath her beauty she embodies equal parts intellect, ambition, and drive. This modern day icon tears down pretense and prejudice with her exotic, bold beauty, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality.

Yasmine's true passion is giving back to others. She strives to help individuals reach their true potential by inspiring them to be their best selves. Her belief is that you can achieve anything in life that you put your mind to and she hopes that she can be a living testament to that motto.

Born in Northern California with an Italian and Moroccan heritage, Yasmine has always had great aspirations. With an educational background in visual arts, fashion design and photography, she moved to New York City where she ventured through various facets of the fashion industry, creating beautiful and iconic moments in front of and behind the camera. She studied photography at ICP, fashion design at De Anza college and culinary arts at West Valley College. While living in NYC, Yasmine worked as a model scout, director for several top modeling agencies and a creative director / fashion stylist for various magazines including Surface Magazine.

As a muse, Yasmine has piqued the interest of many international fashion designers and photographers. She began strutting international catwalks as a model alongside icons like Naomi Campbell and Karolina Kurkova, making appearances in fashion shows produced by Vogue Italia amongst others.

She's been featured in many of todays top fashion magazines such as W Magazine, Hercules and modeled for Louis Vuitton designed by Marc Jacobs for LOVE Magazine.

She's also been shot by some of the most iconic photographers in the industry, including Patrick Demarchelier, Mario Sorrenti, Ellen Von Unworth and Marianno Vivanco.

It wasn't long before Hollywood took an interest in Yasmine's talents. Her latest accomplishments include a starring role in an upcoming Adam Shankman and Frank Meli film, as well as several guest appearances on various television shows and music videos. Yasmine is very excited for the newest chapter of her career.

Given her passion for entertainment and the arts, she's eager and open to further pursuing a career as a professional actress and is actively studying under one of the top acting coaches in NYC.

Jackie's friendship and professional association with Andy Warhol began in the mid-1960s. He appeared in director Paul Morrissey's Women in Revolt (1971) with Candy Darling and Holly Woodlawn and Flesh (1968) with Joe Dallesandro and Candy Darling, presented by Andy Warhol. For these unique films, director Paul Morrissey gave the actors information about their character, the scene and suggested lines. The camera rolled and everyone improvised much of the content in a single take.

Jackie was perhaps happiest on stage. His wild creative energies were unleashed on appreciative audiences at venues including Playhouse of the Ridiculous, La Mama E.T.C., the Poetry Project at St. Marks Church, Bastianos Theater, Pyramid, and many other Manhattan theaters. His talent transcended gender and he reveled in melodramatic female roles.

In 1970, Jackie Curtis auditioned in drag for Busby Berkeley's revival of the 1920s musical "No, No, Nanette" - too bad Busby Berkeley and Broadway weren't ready for Curtis in the chorus line! Jackie's cabaret performances were stunning. In 1973 he appeared at the New York Cultural Center in "Cabaret in the Sky - an Evening with Holly Woodlawn and Jackie Curtis", an event attended by gay New York and "cafe society" alike.

Fortunately, Jackie's singing talents were documented on video in the 1970s and also on recently rediscovered studio recordings of songs from "Vain Victory" - which are to be released on CD in the near future! Jackie Curtis began writing plays in the late 1960s in which he usually appeared as the female lead. "Amerika Cleopatra" ran during the summer of 1968. Jackie's co-stars included Alexis del Lago and Harvey Fierstein, who played "Cleo's Jewish Mother".

'Robert de Niro' made his first appearance on the stage opposite Candy Darling during the first run of "Glamour, Glory, and Gold" in 1967. Jackie's musical "Lucky Wonderful", with music composed by Paul Serrato, was produced in 1968 at the Bastianos Theater. "Heaven Grand in Amber Orbit" was performed by John Vaccaro's Playhouse of the Ridiculous in 1969 and toured internationally for two years. Jackie Curtis' "Vain Victory" was produced at La Mama in 1971. It was an immediate smash hit and ran all summer long to packed houses.

Jackie was a prolific writer and a published poet. Jackie's poetry focuses on his fascination with stardom, glamorous divas, and broken dreams. He was proudest of his inclusion in "The Poets' Encyclopedia" published by the editors of the literary journal "Unmuzzled OX" in 1979. The poem "B-Girls" is the longest work in the 310 page volume (8 pages). It is based upon Jackie's observations of the barroom denizens of "Slugger Ann's", his grandmother's bar. (Jackie lived above the bar with his grandmother for much of his life.)

Jackie died of an accidental heroin overdose on May 15, 1985. He was just 38 years old. At his wake, friends filled his casket with photographs and mementos of his career, packs of Kool cigarettes, a magic wand, a cocktail shaker full of martinis, and sprinkled his face and body with glitter.

Later, after the funeral, friends covered his burial mound with so much red glitter that it was visible in the distance from the highway. Jackie's unique talents and his wonderful friendship and spirit will always be sorely missed by those who had the good fortune to know him.

Estelle Asmodelle was born on April 24, 1964 in Bowral, New South Wales, Australia. She is an actress, writer and cinematographer, known for 24 Hour Playboy (1989) and Sleep Tight (2010). She trained under Lena Harris in Hollywood but lives in Australia.

A feature film script that she wrote, "Pleasure Girl" has won Best of its category (Script (Science Fiction)) at the 2018 Los Angeles Film and Script Festival!

Octavia St. Laurent was born on 16 March 1964 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for The Saint of Fort Washington (1993), Paris Is Burning (1990) and Mirror, Mirror (1996). She died on 17 May 2009 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA.

Candy Darling was born on 24 November 1944 in Long Island, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Women in Revolt (1971), The Death of Maria Malibran (1972) and Flesh (1968). She died on 21 March 1974 in New York City, New York, USA.

Woodlawn was born Haroldo Santiago Franceschi Rodriguez Danhakl in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico. Her mother, Aminta Rodriguez, married the baby's father, a German-American sailor in the U.S. Navy stationed in Puerto Rico, but they divorced when his military service ended. When Woodlawn was nine, her mother moved to New York and remarried, to Joseph Ajzenberg, a Polish Jewish immigrant whom she met while waiting tables at a resort in the Catskills Mountains. The new family eventually relocated to Miami Beach, Florida.