Recently, the world's social climate has progressed to a point where people who identify as a
different gender from which they were biologically born have been able to openly live the way
they choose to live.
Living in the spotlight is already difficult, but here are some of the stars leading the
way for the transgender community.
Lana and Lilly Wachowski
The Wachowski siblings wrote and directed one of the most beloved and innovative science-fiction
movies of all time: The Matrix.
They're also responsible for the visually dazzling and philosophically interesting films
like Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending.
A common theme in their work is identity, which isn't too surprising.
Lana Wachowski, originally named Larry, says she first became conscious of her true gender
while attending a Catholic elementary school.
She told The New Yorker,
"I have a formative memory of walking through the girls' line and hesitating, knowing that
my clothes didn't match."
She transitioned to female while shooting the Matrix sequels, while Lilly Wachowski,
formerly Andy, came out as transgender in 2016.
Ines Rau
Since the '50s, Playboy has been one of the standards of "dude culture," essentially telling
guys the types of things they were "supposed" to be interested in — but even Playboy can
progress.
In November 2017, the magazine's "Playmate of the Month" was a 27-year-old French model
named Ines Rau, the first openly transgender Playboy Playmate.
The late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner said at the time,
"It's the right thing to do.
We're at a moment where gender roles are evolving."
Gavin Rayna Russom
One of the biggest and most welcome musical comebacks of 2017 belonged to LCD Soundsystem.
Along for the ride was synth player, drummer, and instrument builder Gavin Rayna Russom.
An indie rock and electronic music veteran, Russom came out as transgender in 2017, and
is now publicly living life as a woman.
She uses feminine pronouns but continues to use her old name.
Isis King
There are three reasons Isis King stands out in the history of America's Next Top Model.
She's appeared in multiple cycles, she's one of the few stars to actually go on to create
a successful modeling career, and she's the first transgender model to ever compete on
the show.
GLAAD president Neil Giuliano called King's participation an…
"...unprecedented opportunity for a community that is underrepresented on television."
Alexis Arquette
One of the first prominent transgender people on screen, actress Alexis Arquette was no
stranger to the Hollywood scene.
Her siblings include performers David Arquette, Rosanna Arquette, and Oscar winner Patricia
Arquette.
Alexis increased trans visibility in film and TV, most notably in her memorable role
in the 1998 movie The Wedding Singer.
Sadly, Arquette passed away in 2016 at age 47.
Alexandra Billings
Jeffrey Tambor won Emmys for playing a male transitioning to female late in life on Amazon's
dramedy Transparent, but creator Jill Soloway made sure to round out the cast with real
trans actors playing trans characters.
Alexandra Billings has a major role on the series as a close friend to Tambor's character,
guiding her in the early stages of her new life as a woman.
A decade before Transparent, Billings made TV history: She's the first transgender female
actress to play a transgender character on the small screen, with her role in the 2005
made-for-TV movie Romy and Michele: In the Beginning.
Jake Zyrus
In the mid-2000s, Philippines-based singer Charice scored a bunch of hits in her country
before successfully crossing over to the U.S. market with the 2010 album Charice and a recurring
role on Glee.
In 2017, the singer transitioned to male and announced it publicly by changing his social
media account names from Charice to Jake Zyrus.
He told USA Today,
"I just didn't think that anyone would pick it up.
But when…everyone was talking about it, I was like, 'I guess this is the perfect time.'
It was Pride Month."
Fallon Fox
Raised as male from birth, mixed martial arts fighter Fallon Fox underwent gender reassignment
and breast augmentation surgery in Thailand in 2006, and lived as a woman for seven years
before making it into the women's division of the UFC.
Fox's decision to compete as a woman was controversial — UFC commentator Joe Rogan once argued
on his podcast that she was born a man and should fight male fighters because of her
"bone density."
But Fox was allowed to proceed, and quickly racked up a 4-and-1 record.
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